An Investigation into Spatial Dome Structures of Mimar Sinan Projects

Abstract

This study aims to reveal spatial analysis of Architect Sinan’s mosque projects by focusing on the content of flexibility and superiority of ‘a single dome space’ by atectonic dome architecture that Sinan used to pass great openings, in terms of basic design of the space creation art of mosques, complexes, madrasas and caravanserais. In the article, the dome space structures used by Sinan are examined and the layout of the atectonic domed cover system is emphasized. In the paper, system of dome-space cover techniques to pass wide spaces without remaining any walls at under structure have been analysed, thus, both upper structure as space covering and under structure as main prayer space and auxiliary sub-spaces that attached to that main space have been investigated together. The great architect Sinan’s projects on Ottoman mosques by using domes, made him famous as dome-maker, expressed in the study by variations of four-six- eight baldachin dome structure. Sinan who is known as great dome-maker, used dome variations for space-arranging art on his master pieces such as; Mihrimah Sultan Mosque, Sinan Pasha mosque, Selimiye Mosque, which had been created by baldachin domed structures and the extension of the structure was realized by the addition of a secondary single dome with regards of the spatiality of dome structure. According to the sources, the mosque was enlarged with a second domed volume in the 17th century and becomes its present state. Sinan has analyzed and used domes space structures as additive modular volumetric structures. Therefore, in this article, especially Sinan’s architectural style, which gives a new identity to the large domes structure in the history of World architecture, how Sinan uses domed structured as a space creator are examined. The mosques created by Sinan’s domes space structures have created a tradition within Ottoman architecture, but the universal symbolism of this tradition is the large domed structures. Just as the classical columns in the history of European Architecture create a symbolic status, so is the degree of domes and domed baldachin in Ottoman architecture. As a result, the aim of this article is to reveal the architecture of domed space structures by examining Sinan’s superior open, flexible, large and reproducible space layouts with plans and sections through projects such as mosques.