An Evaluation on the Unfinished Stone Decorations of Bursa Green Mosque
Yeşil Mosque/Zaviye, one of the most popular works of its period, is of great importance not only for its architectural foundation and ornaments but also as a building symbolising the rebirth of the Ottoman Empire. It is also a structure of gratitude to the Ahis and Abdals who supported Mehmed I’s ascension to the throne. The building, which is frequently mentioned by historical sources and the subject of researchers’ analyses, still needs to be examined in many ways. Within the scope of our study, the magnificent stone decorations of the building were examined and it was determined that the unfinished parts of the decorations on the north façade were more than known. It was understood that these decorations, which were never made, the contours of the ornaments were drawn and left raw, the depth was not given and the details were not processed, were present along the entire north façade, but attention was paid to the systematic and unobtrusive placement of these deficiencies. In addition to the identifi? cation of unfinished ornaments, answering the question of why they could not be completed is also among the aims of our study. Researchers who conduct studies on the Green Mosque and similar unfinished buildings usually attribute this situation to political and economic reasons. However, when the subject is analysed in the specific case of the Green Mosque, it is seen that neither political nor economic reasons sufficiently answer the question of why the decorations could not be completed. The failure to complete the decorations of such an important building in this period, when the Ottoman Empire was revived, a relatively peaceful period was experienced, and no economic problems were recorded, must be due to the deteriorating health of Mehmed I.
Bursa Yeşil Cami’nin Yarım Kalan Taş Süslemeleri Hakkında Bir Değerlendirme
Devrinin en gözde eserlerinden biri olan Yeşil Cami/Zaviye, yalnızca mimari kuruluşu ve süslemeleriyle değil, Osmanlı Devleti’nin yeniden doğuşunu simgeleyen bir yapı olması açısından da büyük önem taşır. Aynı zamanda, I. Mehmed’in tahta çıkmasına destek veren Ahilere ve Abdallara yönelik bir şükran yapısıdır. Tarihi kaynakların sıklıkla bahsettiği, araştırmacıların da incelemelerine konu olan yapı, hala birçok yönden incelenmeye muhtaçtır. Çalışmamız kapsamında yapının muhteşem taş süslemeleri incelenmiş ve kuzey cephede yer alan bezemelerin tamamlanmamış kısımlarının bilinenden fazla olduğu saptanmıştır. Hiç yapılmayan, süsleme konturları çekilip ham bırakılan, derinliği verilmeyen ve detayları işlenmeyen bu süslemelerin bütün kuzey cephe boyunca var olduğu, ancak bu eksikliklerin sistemli bir şekilde, göze batmadan yerleştirilmesine dikkat edildiği anlaşılmıştır. Yarım kalan süslemelerin tespitinin yanı sıra neden tamamlanamadıkları sorusunun yanıtlanması da çalışmamızın amaçları arasındadır. Yeşil Cami ve benzeri yarım kalmış çeşitli yapılara ilişkin çalışmalar yürüten araştırmacılar bu durumu genellikle siyasi ve ekonomik nedenlere bağlamaktadırlar. Ancak konu Yeşil Cami özelinde irdelendiğinde gerek siyasi gerekse ekonomik bir gerekçenin, süslemelerin neden bitirilemediği sorusunu yeterince yanıtlamadığı görülmektedir. Osmanlı Devleti’nin yeniden canlandığı, nispeten huzurlu bir dönemin yaşandığı, ekonomik açıdan da herhangi bir sıkıntının kayıtlara geçmediği bu dönemde, bu kadar önemli bir yapının süslemelerinin tamam? lanamaması, I. Mehmed’in kötüye giden sağlığından kaynaklanmış olmalıdır.
Yeşil Mosque/Zaviye, one of the most popular works of its period, is of great importance not only for its architectural foundation and ornaments but also for being a building symbolising the rebirth of the Ottoman Empire. It is also a structure of gratitude to the Ahis and Abdals who supported Mehmed I’s ascension to the throne. The building, which is frequently mentioned by historical sources and the subject of researchers’ investigations, is still in need of research in many ways. Within the scope of our study, the magnificent stone decorations of the building were examined and it was determined that the incomplete parts of the decorations on the north façade were more than known. In the publications, it is generally mentioned that there are incompletions, but their scope and characteristics are not mentioned. The incomplete parts are only on the north façade, and the incompletions have different qualities. Examples include those that were not executed at all, those that were left raw with only the contours of the motifs indicated, and those that lacked depth and detail.
Researchers have produced various arguments about the missing parts, stating that some of the ornaments were processed on the building, some were processed in workshops and added to the building as cladding in the last stage. In line with our investigations, the stonemasons processed the ornaments in a certain order and that the incomplete motifs are present in the slabs. This conclusively proves that the stone ornaments were carved not on the building but on the ground, in workshops and added to the building at the last stage.
In our study, we also discussed the idea that the ornaments may have been changed during the repairs carried out at various times. Our investigations revealed that there were some renovations on the north façade of the building, but these new parts were quite few and did not extend to the entire façade. Since the decorations are worked on the slabs, it is seen that the finished parts and the unfinished parts are on the same slab. This shows that the parts could not have been replaced during the repairs, that is, they were left unfinished. As a matter of fact, as we have mentioned before, there are many examples in which the details could not be worked out and the depth of the engraving could not be given.
Within the scope of our research, it was also understood that there are various letters in the round medallions in the windows. When these letters were compared, traces were found that the letters "elif, lam-elif and beautiful he" were repeated or planned. When these letters are combined, it is predicted that the word "Allah" was intended to be repeated five times reasonably. This assertion is based on traces and information. A different feature of the unfinished ornaments was also identified. When it became necessary to place these ornaments, which were processed in line with a general plan, in the building before they were completed, it is understood that care was taken to end the missing motifs with rounded lines in a relatively unobtrusive way, as if they were not missing.
We have also made important observations regarding the distribution of the incomplete ornaments. The incomple? tions on the outer mihrabs, which are completely similar in terms of size and ornamentation, have been distributed so as not to attract too much attention. The deficiencies in the corners of the conch are located in different areas in both outer mihrabs. A similar process was applied to the rectangular panels forming the mihrab niches. The presence of unfinished ornaments on the upper part of both mihrab niches and the presence of incomplete fine incised contours support this view.
In addition to identifying the unfinished ornaments, answering the question of why they could not be completed is among the main objectives of our study. Researchers conducting studies on the Green Mosque and similar unfinished buildings generally attribute this situation to political and economic reasons. However, when the subject is analysed in the specific case of the Green Mosque, it is seen that neither political nor economic reasons sufficiently answer the question of why the decorations could not be completed. We believe that the failure to complete the decorations of such an important building in this period, when the Ottoman Empire was revitalised, a relatively peaceful period was experienced, and no economic problems were recorded, was based on different reasons. As a matter of fact, when Ottoman chronicles and historical sources are analysed, it is understood that there is no resource problem regarding the construction of the building. Historians such as Âşık Paşazade, while providing information about the reign of Mehmed I, stated that he built an imaret in Bursa and asked for a few heathen villages to endow this structure, and that the villages of Gebze, Hereke and Darıca came under the sultan's sultanate.
The construction of the building was completed while Mehmed I was still alive. In this case, the argument that the decorations were left unfinished due to the sultan’s death does not seem appropriate. It can also be argued that the rough construction of the building was completed, Mehmed I died before the decorations were finished, and after his death the stone decorations were left unfinished. However, this is not a very realistic explanation. As a matter of fact, the magnificent rich tile decorations of the building were completed in 1424. This is clear evidence that the interest in the building did not end after the death of Mehmed I, and that his son (Murad II) or his wife (Emine Hatun) made the necessary efforts to finish the building. In the context of these explanations, we think that Mehmed I's deteriorating health was the reason why the stone decorations of the building were left unfinished. Ottoman chronicles, historiographers and researchers are unanimous, albeit with different accounts, that Mehmed I suffered from an illness. This suggests that the reason why the decorations were not finished was the sultan's illness. As a matter of fact, it is understood that there was a danger that Mehmed I would not be able to see and worship in the Green Mosque, which was a structure of gratitude to the Ahi and Abdals, and which was made a great effort to be the most beautiful work of its era, due to his illness. Considering that diseases such as epilepsy and stroke were especially emphasised and that his illness was worsening, we believe that the building was hastily placed in its place before the decorations on the north façade were completed and that Sultan Mehmed I opened and used the building during his relatively healthy days.
