KOSOVADAKİ OSMANLI DÖNEMİ MİMARI ESERLERİNİN İPEK VE YAKOVADAKİ AZ BİLİNEN ÖRNEKLERİ Little Known Examples of the Ottoman Period Architectural Works in Kosova in İpek and Yakova
Project no. 196 · Status: Kapanmış · 2017
Summary
ABSTRACT The Republic of Kosovo, which has been under Ottoman rule for more than five centuries from 1389 to the 1912 - 1913 Balkan Wars, hosts many examples of religious and civil architecture built during this period. Today, the cities of Pec and Gjakova of Kosovo are important centers that keep the Turkish urban texture alive with their architectural works that have survived to the present day and the bazaars that still maintain their liveliness. Ottoman Empire had built significant monuments during its long dominance in the Balkans, however many of these buildings could not survive to our age, due to several factors such as wars, invasions and natural disasters. Amongst the ones that survived to present day, some were not fortunate enough to keep their originality as a result of unsuccessful restoration practices. However, in Kosovo, it is possible to observe more edifices - than any other Balkan country - that could still survive today, and this may partially be related to the presence of a dense Muslim population. It is known that the architectural works seen in different geographies dominated by the Ottoman Empire followed similar plan schemes as the Anatolian examples. But building details, such as facade design and decoration, had more local influences. In the center of Pec and Gjakova, we observed Ottoman-era works, where we can easily characterize local features. The paper introduces 12 mosques that had not previously presented in the publications covered in our literature survey and describes their architectural and ornamental features. These little-known mosques are located in the villages of Pec and Gjakova and most of them belong to 19th century with the earliest dating back to 16th century. The paper also aims to determine how the local craftsmanship affected the architecture and ornamentation of these mosques. Almost all of the studied buildings have a rectangular plan located in the north-south direction. The body walls are mostly built with rubble stone and covered with a tiled hipped roof on the exterior and with a wooden dome or flat ceiling from the interior. The plan scheme of the buildings follows the Anatolian examples. However, architectural design of openings on the facade, has the influence of tower houses, which are frequently encountered in this part of Kosovo. Although the outer shell of the buildings is quite simple in terms of decoration, some of their interiors contain wall paintings and engravings. KeyWords: Kosovo, Mosque, Gjakova, Pec, Ottoman Architecture