How Did Culture Influence The Byzantine Empire And Ottoman Empire

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During the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, trade connected kingdoms and empires all around the Europe, Asia, and Africa. Along with the exchange of products and materials also came the exchange of different cultures throughout the world. One of the ways that culture spreads is through art. As trade increased, artistic styles and motifs of a certain culture inspired those of another. Apparent artistic influences are an important tool that has been used to identify interaction between specific cultures. These interactions include that of the Ottoman Empire with places such as China, Persia, and Europe through art and trade. The Ottoman Empire was a power that controlled much of Northern Africa, Southeastern Europe, and Western Asia in its prime. …show more content…

By the time the Ottomans conquered Constantinople in 1453, the Byzantine Empire had collapsed completely. The Hagia Sophia was originally constructed as a Byzantine church but was used as a mosque during the time of the Ottomans. This change occurred when Constantinople fell to invading Ottoman forces. “Interior of Hagia Sophia,” an image found in Constantinople by Talbot Rice, depicts the inside hall of the impressive structure. It shows the building’s huge domes, decorated pillars, many light fixtures, and plates containing Arabic phrases. The domes and structure were especially inspirational to the Ottomans. According to Rachel Milstein, author and Doctor of Philosophy, “Following the conquest, with the church of Hagia Sophia in close sight, the central domes grew larger and higher and covered a more unified internal space” (Milstein). The Hagia Sophia inspired the Ottomans to build bigger and better domes for their mosques. They wanted to improve the architecture of the city and show that they were the most technically and artistically advanced. Byzantine architecture had a major influence on that of the Ottomans, encouraging the latter to improve and expand on existing concepts and designs. Without the Hagia Sophia, the structures of the past would be far less grand. This kind of cultural crossover drives innovation in the way of …show more content…

Ottoman mosques were “usually of stone and incorporate a variety of reused Byzantine materials; the interiors are richly decorated with frescoes and ceramic tiles... The other buildings of the mosque complex, following the Byzantine tradition, are constructed in alternative courses of stone and brick, with brick decoration” (Milstein). The Ottomans utilised the materials the Byzantines used to construct large buildings. Buildings of the mosque complexes were even constructed with the same design of alternating material. One example of Ottoman architecture that was influenced by the Byzantines is “the splendid mosque built by Sinan for Sultan Süleyman in 1550-1557. The longitudinal hall, under a central dome and two half-domes, between two aisles, recalls the sixth-century Hagia Sophia” (Milstein). These Ottoman structures reflect those of the Byzantines. They were influenced by the Hagia Sophia to build mosques the way they did. All of these examples show that the Ottoman Empire was connected to the Byzantine Empire through the design of their architecture and influence of buildings such as the Hagia

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