Dictionary of islamic architecture

See also:
Ka
ba, Mecca, Medina
Further reading:
G.R.D.King, ‘Traditional architecture in Najd, Saudi
Arabia’, 
Proceedings of the Tenth Seminar for Arabian
Studies,
London 1976, 90–100.
—— ‘Islamic architecture in Eastern Arabia’, 
Proceedings
of the Eleventh Seminar for Arabian Studies,
London 1977,
15–28.
—
—
Historical Mosques of Saudi Arabia
, London and New
York 1986.
—— ‘Building methods and materials in western Saudi
Arabia’, 
Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies,
vol. 191989.
T.Prochazka, The architecture of the Saudi Arabian south
west’, 
Proceedings of the Tenth Seminar for Arabian Studies,
London 1976, 120–33.
Sawma
a
Minaret.
sebil
Turkish term for a drinking fountain. Also used to
refer to a small kiosk with attendant who dispenses
water, or sherbet, from behind a grille.
Selimiye
Ottoman mosque at Edirne in European Turkey
considered to be the culmination of Ottoman
architecture.
The mosque forms the centre of a complex which
includes a madrassa (college), a Quran reading
room and a huge covered market, the proceeds of
which paid for the upkeep of the mosque. This
complex, built by the famous architect Sinan, is
generally considered to be his greatest work. The
mosque consists of two rectangular areas of equal
size placed side by side; the northern area is the
courtyard and portico and the southern area
comprises the prayer hall of the mosque covered
by a huge dome, 32 m in diameter. The dome is the
same size as that of the Hagia Sophia, thus
achieving the Ottoman ambition of building a
mosque of equal size and brilliance to the Ottoman
masterpiece. Instead of using half-domes of the
same radius placed at the sides of the central dome
as was usual in earlier mosques, Sinan used smaller
corner domes which function as giant squinches.
The dome rests on an octagon formed by eight
Sawma
a

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massive cylindrical fluted piers which project
through the roof to act as stabilizing turrets for the
fenestrated drum. The significance of the design is
that it breaks away from the square domed area
which had remained the dominant principal in
Ottoman mosque architecture.
Like the Süleymaniye and the Üç Serefeli
Mosque, the Selimiye has four minarets, but here
they are placed at each corner of the mosque rather
than at the corners of the courtyard as had
happened previously. At 68 m these are the tallest
Ottoman minarets and with their central
positioning emphasize the pyramid-like mass of the
dome.
The mosque is built mainly of yellow sandstone
although red sandstone is also used for voussoirs in
arches and for outlining architectural details. The
interior of the building is provided with traditional
mosque furniture, the most impressive of which is
the tall marble minbar. The sides of the minbar are
decorated with a carved geometric interlace pattern
based on a twelve-pointed star and circle. Directly
below the dome is the square muezzin’s gallery
resting on an arcade of wide-lobed arches, and below
this is a small marble fountain emphasizing the
central axis of the dome. The mihrab is contained
within a square, apse-like area and covered by a
small semi-dome which emphasizes its position. The
royal prayer room is located on an upper gallery in
the north-west corner of the mosque as was
traditional in Ottoman architecture. The royal area
is heavily decorated with Iznik tile panels and
stained-glass windows, whilst the south window
forms the mihrab niche.