Things to Do in Istanbul Laleli

Laleli - the capital of the shuttle business in Turkey. Almost entirely, it consists of nothing but shmotochnyh stores. Now Laleli acquired some European polish, but its essence has not changed - it's endless storefronts that sell clothes, as far as the eye.
Within this realm of junk, conceals two interesting historical sites in Istanbul - Ottoman mosque Laleli, she gave the name to this area, and an ancient Byzantine church Mireleyon, now Bodrum Jami Mosque. With her then, we begin viewing ...




Mireleyon Temple was built in the early 10th century emperor of Roman Lakapin, he was part of a large palace and monastery of the same name then, now did not survive.
The total volume of the church survives today almost unchanged, but the interior of the church lost forever. During the reign of Ottoman Sultan BayazidaII, Mireleyon was converted into a mosque and is known as Bodrum Jami.



Mosque of Bodrum - the interior.




After several devastating fires, the mosque of Bodrum looked like this.


It only restored in 1986, it is completely natural within novodelnaya.


Bodrum in Turkish means basement, reveals the essence of a good name of the ancient building, as the church itself is only the tip of the "underground of the iceberg." The fact that the church has a vast dungeon. Lakapin novel in the 10th century used to build the church and palace, under the foundation, the huge rotunda, created in Roman times.
Here I have tried to show the scale of a circular rotunda, on the church, which stands at the top.


Rotunda - a huge circular structure with a diameter of more than 40 meters, was built around the early 4th century. What it look like the original, say it is very difficult, as it is not clear and its purpose. There is a version that it was the Roman Museyon - pagan temple, later converted the Byzantines into something more honestly. Perhaps some time building served as a tank of water until it became the foundation for the palace of Roman Lakapin, and later the monastery Mireleyon.
Excavations of the Roman rotunda (Bodrum Mosque stands at the top left corner).


The walls of the rotunda is very thick at the bottom of the wall width of 6 meters. This suggests that the building intended to cover the huge dome like the Pantheon in Rome, though no confirmation of the existence of such a huge dome there. Perhaps the building was not completed as the end. Later, inside the rotunda put a lot of columns to support the flat roof, and the platform was used as the basis of the Byzantine palaces and monasteries.
The general form of the topsides and the church before the restoration.


And what can be seen today.


At the present time, totally dug the rotunda, restored and used under the clothing market as a whole and the surrounding area.
I took off a bit in this structure.










Directly Bodrum Mosque, stands a little apart from a giant cylinder has its own base.
The ground floor Mireleyona.


And then he looked like in 1930 - the process of digging underground ..


Under the mosque is the burial chapel, where all family members were buried Roman Lakapin, founder Mireleyona. Capella is also now more like a mosque, as it is used by the Turks, I have no suggestions.





On the wall are remains of frescoes, though see there is something it is not possible, it is considered that there is depicted the Virgin Protectress.



The second historical site in Laleli - this mosque, built v1759-63's, by order of Sultan Mustafa III. Mosque Laleli got its name from a local saint, is buried nearby.



Laleli - the last major imperial mosque, its style is strongly felt by European influence.
Inner courtyard of the mosque.










Interestingly, the mosque Laleli almost completely copies the structure of the church Mireleyon situated on it a few hundred meters.
In Laleli, were also members of the ruling dynasty are buried in the mausoleum of the mosque are buried Sultan - Mustafa III and his son Selim III, as well as their families. As in Mireleyone, the mosque has a vast underground room, a kind of underground caravanserai, which now sell clothes and other stuff, like everywhere else in the area.
Two places of worship in Laleli prove full continuity between the Byzantine and Ottoman cultures ...
Trading room is directly under the mosque. The bottom row of windows in this photo, the windows of the underground market.


The underground market.




Below, the mausoleum of the Sultan's family, included in the complex Laleli. There were more than the market and mosques, Islamic schools - madrassas and free food for the poor.


Ottoman kiosk in front of the complex Laleli.


Tomb of Sultan Selim and Mustafa.




Around the many graves of children and wives of the sultans.




Burial, located in a separate room, who is there, I did not understand.




The mosque has a bypass galleries Laleli and porch, as in the Russian churches of the 17th century, it is probably a common European influence, as you know the Italians have built, as in Russia and the Ottoman Empire.