Some Opinions About The Bergama Great Mosque

Abstract

As a result of Yıldırım Bayezid’s expeditions against the principalities ruling in Anatolia, many principalities were subject to the Ottomans and thus the Ottoman dominance in Anatolia began to be strengthened. In addition to expanding its area of dominance, this period, which is accepted as the first imperial attempt of the Ottoman Empire, especially with the moves made in the bureaucratic, financial and military fields also brought some innovations in the field of architecture. The application of new essay in the plan and designs of the constructed buildings and the observation of the environmental culture effects support this situation. One of the structures that come to the fore in this context is the Bergama Great (Yıldırım) Mosque.

According to the inscription on the portal, the Bergama Great (Yıldırım) Mosque, built in 1398-1399, is a structure consisting of three naves. The main focus of the facade arrangements of the mosque is the pointed arched portal on the north facade. This pointed arch application, which is one of the characteristic features of the Gothic style, is emphasized by the profiles made gradually on the portal. The building can be described as a “new” experiment for Ottoman Architecture in terms of both the plan and the portal design. Therefore, the traces of different designs observed in other buildings built during the reign of Yıldırım Bayezid can be followed in this mosque as well.

The sources in the literature on the subject give detailed information about the Bergama Great Mosque, some studies examine the building in the context of influence, refer to the Gothic style and establish a connection with its contemporary, Beçin Ahmed Gazi Madrasa (1375). As a matter of fact, the Gothic-style portal design in both buildings supports this situation. However, in terms of the source of the influence, is the Bergama Great Mosque related to the architectural style in the Crusader states around the Mediterranean? The question is the main research question of this study. Therefore, the primary aim of the study is to evaluate Bergama Great Mosque within the framework of its influence and to explain its connection with the architectural style in the Crusader states through similar examples. Another objective of the study is to clarify the intermediary roles of the artists and/or masters involved in the construction of the structure in applying the architectural memory they possessed to the building. Within the scope of the research, literature review, field research and photography were used as methods. In addition to Bergama, the field research was carried out on the islands of Rhodes and Cyprus, which are among the important centers of the Mediterranean. In the study, it was concluded that the source of the design of the main portal of the Bergama Great Mosque is the architectural style of the Crusader states around the Mediterranean, and this connection was explained through examples from the islands of Rhodes and Cyprus. Another conclusion reached is that it is understood that this influence has spread through the artists and/or masters, and even the ateliers to which they belong.