Atanacia Nicole Franco and Dr. Cynthia Finlayson, Visual Arts
One of the most mysterious architects of the Islamic Middle East was Mimar Sinan, the Ottoman architect who designed some of the most famous Ottoman buildings during the 16th century CE. He grew up as a Christian youth in the central part of Anatolia (modern day Turkey) but was co-opted into the Ottoman Janissary army where he eventually rose to become the Chief Architect of the Ottoman Empire. His buildings represent the glory of the Golden Age of the Ottoman Empire under Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent. My ORCA research focused on one of the buildings attributed to Sinan, the Tekkiya Suleymaniye in Damascus. This building had critical importance for the Ottoman political agenda in the Middle East in the middle 17th century. The Tekkiya was utilized as the last stop and resting place for Muslim pilgrims on the way to Mecca on the holy hajj. My ORCA project was to travel to Syria and Turkey for necessary architectural on-site analysis and to explore certain aspects of the building in order to consolidate the sparse amount of research that had been done on the Tekkiya. This information would be presented to the Syrian government in an effort to raise awareness for the building, which is currently in poor condition.
In order to prepare for this project, I started in the winter of 2006, taking art history, history, and archeology classes, especially those classes about the Middle East. I read books about art history methodology and talked to several scholars about modern historical circumstances so I would be prepared to function in the modern society as I worked in the area.
However, as the project progressed I had several obstacles arise. Due to Syria being added to the US State Department Travel Warning list, I was not able to travel to Syria. However, my mentor, Dr. Finlayson agreed to do the on-site analysis needed at the Tekkiya in Damascus. I also did extensive research on Mimar Sinan’s autobiographies and biographies.
Instead, I traveled to Jordan with Dr. Finlayson where I did research on my project at the American Center for Oriental Research, which has a unique and rare collection of books about the ancient Middle East. After Jordan I traveled to Turkey with Dr. Finlayson. During my stay at Istanbul, I visited the Hagia Sophia, the Suleymaniye mosque complex of Istanbul, and the Selimye mosque in Edirne. These magnificent buildings were truly stunning. It is easy to see how the grandness of the Hagia Sophia would have impressed Ottoman architects like Sinan. At all sites, I catalogued major Ottoman stylistic features of the building through photography and extensive written analysis that would be used in the comparative analysis of the Tekkiya Suleymaniye in Damascus. After visiting two of Sinan’s works in Istanbul, I traveled to the European side of Turkey into Edirne, the old capital of the Ottoman province in the area. This part of Turkey was picturesque, complete with the rolling hills and plentiful farms. At Edirne, we visited the Selimye, considered the architectural climax of Sinan’s career. Here we also did further analysis on Ottoman stylistic features for the building.
While in Syria, Dr. Finlayson informed me that a Turkish group had come in and started to renovate the Tekkiya Suleymaniye in Damascus. My research will still be useful to this effort since it consolidated the sparse information that had been done on the Tekkiya as well as showing how important the building was to Ottoman policy in the Middle East through its’ architectural features. My research will be presented to the Department of Antiquities in Syria and the Turkish renovation group. My research will also be used in another project headed by Dr. Finlayson which will design museum presentation panels for the Tekkiya Suleymaniye, so the information will promote awareness for both local Syrians and tourists when the building re-opens.
It was exciting to take part in original research with a mentor who is actively involved in the Middle East. I learned a lot about methodologies and how real scholars go through the process of research. I gained so much knowledge about the Ottoman Empire, Ottoman architectural style, and its presence in the Middle East. I had an amazing cultural experience in the Middle East and enjoyed learning about an area that is becoming so critical in the modern world.