1850 Manuscript View of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, Istanbul

A striking and finely executed hand-drawn c. 1850 manuscript view of the Blue Mosque and Hagia Sophia, Istanbul. This view presents the Sarayburnu Hill, Istanbul, then the capital of the Ottoman Empire, focusing on the Blue Mosque (Sultan Ahmed Mosque) and Hagia Sophia.

A Closer Look

Behind and to the right of the Hagia Sophia is part of the Topkapi Palace (or perhaps the Hagia Irene). Aside from the monumental architecture, several smaller buildings, trees, and fortifications lie in the foreground. One of the gates at the right is the Otluk Kapısı gate for the Topkapi Palace. Before the wall, several pedestrians and a horse rider walk along the water while boats of various sorts are active in the Bosphorus.

The Blue Mosque

The Blue Mosque, officially known as the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, is one of Istanbul's most iconic landmarks, blending elements of Byzantine and Islamic architecture. Located in the historic Sultanahmet district, the mosque was commissioned by Sultan Ahmed I and built between 1609 and 1616. The mosque's nickname comes from the tens of thousands of blue Iznik tiles that adorn the interior walls, which, along with intricate floral and geometric designs and more than 200 stained glass windows, make the interior of the mosque a splendorous sight. The mosque's exterior is no less grand in its ambitions, boasting six minarets, only the second mosque in the Islamic world to do so (the other being the Kaaba in Mecca, to which a seventh minaret was added by Ahmed I to avoid controversy).

The Hagia Sophia

No less stunning than the Blue Mosque is the nearby Hagia Sophia, with origins significantly older. The Hagia Sophia was built as a cathedral by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian I in 537 CE on the site of an even older church. It served as the principal church of the Eastern Orthodox Church and was the world's largest cathedral for nearly a thousand years. The Hagia Sophia is renowned for its massive dome, which was an engineering marvel of its time and remains one of the most impressive architectural feats in history. After the Ottoman Empire conquered Constantinople in 1453, Sultan Mehmed II converted the Hagia Sophia into a mosque. The building underwent an Islamification, including the addition of minarets. The Christian iconography, including gorgeous mosaics, was removed or covered up but later restored, resulting in a structure combining Christian and Islamic symbols. Under Turkey's secular government in the 1930s, the mosque was converted into a museum, but in the past few years, it has begun to host Islamic religious services again.

Publication History and Census

This view was hand-drawn by an unknown artist, most likely in the mid-19th century. Very faint handwriting appears at the bottom, which is unfortunately no longer legible. The view lacks the modern Ahırkapı Lighthouse, built in 1857, though this is not definitive for dating as the lighthouse may just be out of view to the right. In any event, as a manuscript drawing, the view is one-of-a-kind.