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TURBES
(MAUSOLEUMS OF ISTANBUL)
Cemeteries were once an integral part of the Istanbul panorama. They were large areas of green that were extremely well-maintained. Foreign travellers were known to mistake the visits by the people of Istanbul to the cemeteries for "a walk through well-kept parks". The small graves are also an intrinsic part of Istanbul. Found in the busiest parts of the city, in mosque complexes and covered cemeteries, on small side streets and between houses, these graves are a constant reminder of the precarious relationship between this world and the next. The remains of the large cemeteries can still be seen today in such places as Karacaahmet and Eyüp.
MAUSOLEUM OF SULTAN MEHMED, THE CONQUEROR
The mausoleum of Sultan Mehmed, built by Sultan Bayezid II in 1482, is found within the Fatih Mosque Complex.
This grand marble mausoleum is crowned with a ten-sided dome, and its interior is elaborately decorated with gold and silver.
MAUSOLEUM OF HATICE TURHAN SULTAN
A part of the Yeni Mosque Complex found in Eminönü square, the mausoleum of Hatice Sultan Turhan is located on the Spice Bazaar side of the complex across from the Hünkar Kasri.
The mausoleum contains the remains of five Padisahs and a large number of the nobility of the Ottoman cemeteries. Besides containing the graves of Sultan Mehmed 4 and his mother Hatice Turhan Sultan, the remains of Sultan Osman III, Sultan Mustafa II, Sultan Ahmed III and sultan Mahmud I are also a part of the structure.
The mausoleum is covered with a dome 15 meters in diameter and illuminated by 47 windows. The interior is covered with glazed tiles and the ceiling is ornamented. To the right of the entrance can be seen a library built by Sultan Ahmed III.
MAUSOLEUM OF SULTAN SÜLEYMAN, THE MAGNIFICENT |