Bringing to Light the Qur’an: The Theophany of Allah by Means of Lighting Design in the Süleymaniye Mosque
Open Access
- Author:
- Murray, Stella
- Area of Honors:
- Interdisciplinary in Architecture and Architectural Engineering
- Degree:
- Bachelor of Architecture
- Document Type:
- Thesis
- Thesis Supervisors:
- Denise Rae Costanzo, Thesis Supervisor
James Gill Cooper, Thesis Honors Advisor
Richard Mistrick, Thesis Honors Advisor - Keywords:
- Mimar Sinan
Süleymaniye Mosque
Sultan Süleyman
Hagia Sophia
Ottoman Empire
Tezkiretü’l-Bünyān
Qur'an
theophany
theology
lighting design
architectural history - Abstract:
- In 1558, the Ottoman architect Koca Mimar Sinan Agha (c. 1488-1588) began construction on the Süleymaniye Mosque in Constantinople (Istanbul). Commissioned by Sultan Süleyman (1494-1566), the mosque was built early in Sinan’s career even though it was soon considered a masterpiece. The Süleymaniye Mosque drew significant inspiration from the nearby Hagia Sophia (532-37), a monument built a thousand years earlier for a different religion (Byzantine). Despite the differences in their theological origins, these two works of architecture in the same city share similar structural systems and lighting strategies. Although both the Süleymaniye Mosque and Hagia Sophia were designed to dramatize daylighting, the former has been more successful. Whereas Hagia Sophia is relatively dim inside, natural light alone fully illuminates the upper half of the Süleymaniye Mosque. In the lower half of the mosque, the simple yet effective mosque lamps serve as task lighting for Muslims who wish to pray. Architectural historians have studied the Süleymaniye Mosque extensively, investigating topics that range from the mosque’s political role in the Ottoman Empire to the comparison of oil mosque lamps and their LED counterparts. However, the scholarship on Sinan’s oeuvre continues to be predominated by “secular” readings. In fact, no literature (in English) delves into the relationship between the mosque’s structural and lighting design and the religion of Islam. Sinan’s autobiography, Tezkiretü’l-Bünyān (Record of Construction, 1580s), gives insight into his thought process during the conceptual design stage. Articles written by contemporary scholars analyze the impact of his design decisions on spreading the message of the Qur’an within the Süleymaniye Mosque. My thesis proposes that the light within the space was designed to do more than simply fulfill practical requirements for worship and politics. I explore the extent to which Sinan designed the Süleymaniye Mosque as a “theophanic” tool: a spiritual instrument to manifest divine presence.