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Medieval and Colonial Capital Cities of DelhiCOMPARATIVE ANALYSISThe Selimiye mosque and its social complex is a square mosque having a single dome and four slenderminarets, dominates the skyline of the former Ottoman capital of Edirne. This mosque complex was builtbetween 1569‐1575 AD and is considered to be the masterpiece of Sinan’s architecture. The complexincludes madrasas (Islamic schools), a covered market, clock house and an outer courtyard. The dome ofthe mosque has a diameter of 31.5m over a prayer space of 45mx36m. The innovative structural designallowed numerous windows creating an extraordinary illuminated interior. The interior decoration usesIznik tiles from the peak period of their production testifies to an art form that remains unsurpassed inthis material.• City PlanningThe general planning of the city was organic following the topographical pattern of the landform. Duringthe rule of the Roman power, initial city planning was done and the main axis of the city was designed.This axis was the road to Rome and several forums like the St. Sophia, the Hippodrome and the entranceto the Great Palace were located along this path. The hierarchy of roads in Istanbul started with theconstruction of the main road the Messe and a secondary road forming a Y‐pattern. This became the mainspine of the city till today. The roads which led to the forums were built in a straight line for visualconnectivity. These main roads also served for parades and ceremonies held by the Imperial power. Thecity grew continuously until the 7th century AD when it reached its peak. During the 13 th cen. AD, the cityfell on hard times and growth stopped making the city was stagnant until 1453 when it was conquered byMehmed II and became the Ottoman Empire.During the 14 th to 19 th century the city doubled in size. The Ottoman Planning system was very differentfrom the earlier Roman and Byzantium planning principles. The city was developed as an Islamic city withan organic pattern having frequent change in orientations and widths. The topographical character of theland was incorporated for any kind of developments in terms of city planning.The city was developed as an Islamic city with an organic pattern having frequent change in orientationsand widths. The topographical character of the land was incorporated for any kind of developments interms of city planning. The Ottoman city comprised of a palace complex built overlooking the MaramaraSea at the Bosphorous covering an area of 163 acres, a defined division of areas into nahiyes (districts)and mohallas(areas) connecting through a complex network of streets and cul de sacs, ports and bazaars.The palace complex took the most convenient and strategic location along the sea. The complex wasdivided into 3courts with specific functions. The first court had the various miscellaneous householdfunctions, the second court housed the audience halls and administrative departments and the thirdcourt had the private quarters of the royal family along with the harem and personal servant quarters. Inthe similar pattern, the mansions were also built around courtyards usually into two courts segregated asprivate quarters like rooms for the family and other spaces like kitchen, baths, stables, shops, workshops,etc.The city was built around religious structures. The firstnahiye (district) built was around the Hagia Sofya (AyaSofya) also known as the Great Mosque. Several othernahiyes were planned around other jami orcongregational mosques built by the nobles or otheramirs. The mohallas were further built within thenahiyes around smaller mosques known as masjids.These areas were named after whoever built themosque.Pic 12: Constantinople, Istanbul, Turkey; by Frith, Francis,1850s to 1870s, Source: Victoria and Albert Museum7/31/2012 INTACH, Delhi Chapter 10