Fountains weren’t only for filling pitchers with water. Up to now, fountains used to have communal locations the place individuals would interact in nice conversations over flowing water.
Though the primary objective of a “çeşme” (fountain in Turkish), which derives from the phrase “çeşm” in Persian, is to hold and ship water, the fountain was a method of communication in Türkiye. They have been additionally constructions the place individuals used to carry out artwork sketches that carried traces of historical past.
Though these treasured constructions bearing traces of historical past seem in virtually each metropolis of Türkiye, the fountains of Istanbul, the town with probably the most fountains on the earth, are very well-known.
Particularly within the Ottoman interval, following the conquest of Istanbul, the fountains constructed to satisfy the town’s water wants seem as iconic paintings at the moment. The fountains, which exhibit distinctive structure and calligraphy, virtually defy time. These constructions, particularly in districts of the historic peninsula resembling Beşiktaş, Eyüp, Fatih and Beyoğlu, are the pearls of Istanbul.
So, now I want to introduce you to a few of these historic pearls from the Ottoman Empire.
Tophane Fountain
Positioned in Istanbul’s Tophane Sq., this fountain is the third largest fountain in Istanbul. It coincides with the transition interval from the classical Ottoman type to the Western type and is among the best examples of the 18th-century rococo structure motion.
Constructed by the Ottoman Sultan Mahmud I, plant motifs have been used to brighten this fountain, which is among the monumental sq. fountains constructed for accessing clear ingesting water. The fountain is adorned with plant motifs in accordance with the type of the interval by which it was constructed. The stone ornament contains fruit bushes in pots and pictures of flowers in vases. These motifs are organized like a sequence of rows towards the oblong frames, the edges and contained in the area of interest.
Tophane Fountain, also called the Sultan Mahmud I Fountain, awaits its guests as one in every of Istanbul’s fountains value seeing.
German Fountain
The German Fountain, dazzling with its majesty in Sultanahmet Sq., is among the most touristic squares of Istanbul. It was constructed in Germany to commemorate the second anniversary of German Emperor Wilhelm II’s go to to Istanbul in 1898 and was a present to Sultan Abdülhamid II. This fountain has two inscriptions, one in Ottoman Turkish and the opposite in German.
The fountain, whose components have been made in Germany and later assembled in Istanbul’s Sultanahmet, was designed in step with the Neo-Byzantine type and adorned with gold mosaics. Fabricated from syenite, one of many hardest stones on the earth and tough to sculpt on the time, this fountain would be the finest backdrop on your Istanbul memento images.
Including a novel ambiance to Sultanahmet Sq., the German Fountain resembles an open-air museum with many historic artifacts from the Byzantine and Ottoman intervals, and awaits its guests as one of many favourite fountains of Istanbul.
Sultanahmet’s Sultan Ahmed III Fountain
Standing between the 2 most essential historic buildings of Istanbul, Sultan Ahmed III Fountain was commissioned by Sultan Ahmed III upon the suggestion of Damat Ibrahim Pasha.
The fountain, which was constructed on the positioning of a Byzantine Fountain named Perayton and displays the Turkish rococo structure, is positioned between the doorway gate of Topkapı Palace, one of the standard historic constructions of Istanbul, and Hagia Sophia Grand Mosque.
Hekimoğlu Ali Pasha Fountain
Hekimoğlu Fountain, positioned in Kabataş Pier Sq., was constructed to satisfy the water wants of Beyoğlu, Galata, Tophane and Fındıklı districts. It nonetheless preserves its magnificence with the restoration works carried out in 1987, 2007 and 2008. The fountain has two inscriptions: One going through the ocean and one going through the road.
Hekimoğlu Ali Pasha Fountain, one of the stunning examples of the transition interval to Turkish baroque, is among the most dazzling charity fountains from the Ottoman Empire.
Üsküdar’s Sultan Ahmed III Fountain
The Mihrimah Sultan Mosque, which can also be a treasured work, may be seen from the again of this fountain, which attracts consideration with its magnificence and magnificence much like a figurine, positioned reverse the Üsküdar Ferry Port.
Sultan Ahmed III Fountain was constructed to satisfy the water wants of these passing via the Bosporus and contains eight faucets, 4 of which have been long-established for ingesting and 4 for filling water containters. Sultan Ahmed III and Nevşehirli Damat Ibrahim Pasha wrote the inscription on the coast facet of the fountain, which is among the symbolic works of Üsküdar and has 4 facades like all sq. fountains.
Sultan Mahmud II Fountain
Positioned in Sümbül Efendi in Fatih, one of many oldest settlements in Istanbul, Sultan Mahmud II Fountain was in fact commissioned by Sultan Mahmud II. The fountain, positioned close to the outer wall of the Fevziye Küçük Efendi Mosque, had changed one other fountain on the identical spot that was destroyed.
Hırka-i Şerif Mosque Fountain
Ottoman Sultan Abdulmejid I commissioned the Hırka-i Şerif Mosque in 1850 to protect the Blessed Mantle of the Prophet Muhammad, which was given as a present to Uwais al-Qarani, often called Veysel Karani in Turkish, a seventh-century Islamic determine from Yemen beloved by the Turks.
This fountain was constructed on the decrease wall of the mosque. The face of the Hırka-i Şerif Fountain, one of many historic fountains of Istanbul, is roofed with marble. The fountain, which has a body adorned with aid patterns, additionally attracts consideration with its Ottoman monogram.
It’s mentioned that there are over 1,000 historic fountains in numerous components of Istanbul. These historic constructions may be discovered all around the magnificent metropolis. Although a few of them are among the many fashionable metropolis constructions and intertwined with the metropolis, while you come throughout them, they wink at you in all their glory and traces of historical past.
