Tulip Era Style in Ottoman Architecture (Reflections in Anatolia)

As a result of riots and wars lost during 17th century, Ottoman Empire entered stagnation and devolution period. Failure of the Second Siege of Vienna that took place in second half of the 17th century caused the economy of the state to be shaken. This situation increased exponentially and continued during 18th century. III. Ahmed who succeeded to the throne in 1703 implemented certain reforms in order to get rid of this crisis. Beginning of this century, a diplomatic relation policy instead of wars with European States was adopted and drastic changes in many areas were made with Nevşehirli Damat İbrahim Pasha who became Grand Vizier after the Treaty of Passarowitz. The years of Tulip Era, which is identified III. Ahmed and Damad İbrahim Pasha is regarded as transition period that experienced many changes in various areas as in Architecture. In this period medrese based modest Islamic Ottoman social complexes took place of large-scale Islamic Ottoman social complexes. However, Islamic Ottoman social complex builded with the order of Damat İbrahim Pasha in Nevşehir, the hometown of him, carries large-scale social classical complex features in terms of its general settlement schema and units that it has. It is understood from existing endowments that Damat İbrahim Pasha had a major impact on the complex to be built in this style. In detached units of the complex an innovation except for a few details appear in the architectural sense, although certain motifs are seen to gain prevalence in the area of ornament. Sending the 28th Mehmet Çelebi Efendi to France as an ambassador had a great influence on these changes because he presented his observations that he had made in different cities of France as a report to the Palace. In this report French architecture and culture were mentioned. The change is started to be seen first especially in public buildings of Istanbul, capital city of that era, then showed itself extensively in ornament program of religious buildings. This reflection of the change can be seen in contemporaries of Anatolian architecture. This change can be seen clearly in the works that was constructed by the patronage of some well known figures who marked the period such as Grand Vizier İbrahim Pasha in particular, Kaymak Mustafa Pasha,Hüseyin Paşa,Nasuh Pasha and Rızvan Ahmed Pasha

Keywords

Tulip Era,III. Ahmed,Nevşehirli Damat İbrahim Paşa, Embellishing