From Bursa to Istanbul: The Old Fatih Mosque as a Bridge in Ottoman Architectural Heritage

Abstract

Despite its significance as a transitional monument in Ottoman architecture, the Old Fatih Mosque in Istanbul has received no dedicated modern study commensurate with its importance. This study offers the first focused, contemporary re-examination of the mosque as a pivotal milestone between the early Bursa and Edirne traditions and the monumental ambitions of classical Ottoman architecture. Employing a descriptive-analytical methodology supported by comparative quantitative metrics, the research integrates plan analysis, historical contextualization, and systematic comparison with precedent Ottoman mosques and Hagia Sophia. The findings reveal that the mosque achieved a distinctive spatial model through the interconnection of square and semi-square domed units, producing a centralized interior that departed from earlier hypostyle arrangements. Its roof composition — a large central dome flanked by semi-domes and lateral domes — established a formal language that would become canonical in subsequent Ottoman design. The study further demonstrates that the mosque’s erection on the site of the Church of the Holy Apostles constituted a deliberate act of sacred-political geography, and situates the building within the broader Mediterranean context of fifteenth-century cross-cultural architectural exchange. The study concludes that the Old Fatih Mosque functioned as a formative architectural laboratory, directly informing the trajectory that culminated in the masterworks of architect Sinan.