Constantinople : and the scenery of the seven churches of Asia Minor . then paid hisfellow-workmen, every man his wages, in order by his personal example to stimulatetheir exertions. The site he selected was the most admirable and commanding which the city forms one side of the Atmeidan, and is separated only by an open screen from thisextensive area, one of the few open spaces within the walls of Constantinople. Fromthis it is seen to great advantage on one side ; while on the other, towering over thegardens of the Seraglio, and surmounting the lofty hill on which it stands, it is
Constantinople : and the scenery of the seven churches of Asia Minor . then paid hisfellow-workmen, every man his wages, in order by his personal example to stimulatetheir exertions. The site he selected was the most admirable and commanding which the city forms one side of the Atmeidan, and is separated only by an open screen from thisextensive area, one of the few open spaces within the walls of Constantinople. Fromthis it is seen to great advantage on one side ; while on the other, towering over thegardens of the Seraglio, and surmounting the lofty hill on which it stands, it is the mostconspicuous object presented to a stranger approaching from the Sea of Marmora, andgives the first and most favourable view of those imperial edifices. The materials selectedwere of the most costly kind, in so much, that it is affirmed that every stone in theedifice cost three aspers. It stands in an open space, which forms round it an extensiveambulatory, from the latter of which the edifice arises, and is seen to more advantage thanany other in the CONSTANTINOPLE AND ITS ENVIRONS. ID The first objects that strike the spectator are the six beautiful minarets, with theirelegant and slender forms ascending to an immense height, and seeming as it were topierce the clouds with their sharp-pointed cones. Round each run three capitals or gal-leries for the Muezzim, highly ornamented in fretted arabesque. Above these appearsthe majestic edifice swelling into domes and cupolas, and covered with light tracery andfancy fretwork, forming a strong contrast to the comparatively heavy, dark, and dismaldome of Santa Sophia, which rises at no great distance beside. This juxtapositionstrikes a stranger. He sees with surprise that the genius of a dull and ignorant Turkshould produce an edifice so superior in beauty and elegance to this chef-doeuvre ofGrecian art. Architects of that nation had been employed in erecting the imperialmosque of Mohammed II. and Selim II., but this of
Size: 1300px × 1923px
Photo credit: © The Reading Room / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
Keywords: ., bookauthorallomtho, bookcentury1800, bookdecade1830, bookyear1839
