Muqarnas Formats in Early Ottoman Arch？tecture

Muqarnas is one of the most important decorative elements of Islamic architecture because of its artistic and spiritual value. Muqarnas, which was frequently used in various periods and regions in Islamic civilization, reached its zenith in Ottoman civilization. The Ottoman muqarnas represent the last phase of muqarnas evolution after many development phases which lasted around five centuries. Identifying the Ottoman muqarnas as a structural and decorative element is therefore of great importance. ？n the research, muqarnas was examined in mosques, tombs, imarets and baths located in ？znik, Bursa, and Edirne which date back to 1299-1453. It was determined that muqarnas was used in 39 buildings of examined buildings. The basic four materials used in the early Ottoman period were stone, gypsum, tile, and brick. The type of material used in the muqarnas construction can be different from building to another or in the same building in different places. There is no special material for a specific place of use. In the early Ottoman period architecture, four different forms were used: curved, flat, tilted and typical Ottoman muqarnas. In addition, other mukarnas species and effects taken from earlier periods or near geography civilizations were observed. Keywords: Muqarnas, Ottoman Architecture, Element, Layer, Curved, Tilted, flat, Portal, Kavsara, Mihrab, Dome, Transition Element, Console, Column Capital, Ottoman, ？znik, Bursa, Edirn