The Representation of Ottoman Architecture Developed Under The Influence of Westernization in Giresun: The Kapu Mosque

Tanzimat Edict and its successor Islahat Edict come forward as very important steps taken towards westernization in the Ottoman Empire. Military, political, social and economic transformations that were put into practice in this period, also brought about significant modifications in the administrative and institutional structure of the Ottoman State. A range of practices that at first started in the capital city of Istanbul as military applications and then turned into a social and cultural modernization program, also physically and structurally changed the representations of the Ottoman architecture in Anatolia. In that period, Giresun, which was a small town of the Ottoman Empire in Anatolia, was influenced by these developments thanks to its port trade network established in connection with the capital of the Ottoman State and various other European cities. Several structures that are examples of public, religious or civil architecture were built as representations of the Ottoman Westernization in Anatolia and 'the Giresun Kapu Mosque' is an example of these representations. The stylistic association in the decorative designs of the mosques of that era, which is remarkable as the most important common feature, is also observed in the baroque ornaments of the Kapu Mosque. The aim of the study within this context; is to examine the Ottoman westernization process, also accepted as the Ottoman modernization, which was started with the Tulip Era and affected the Ottoman architecture as well, over the case of the Kapu Mosque