Beyazit Square and Beyazit Mosque

Mehmet the Conqueror decided to bulld his ftrst palace on the site known as "Forum Tauri" during the Byzantine period. All of the cultures embracing the city of Istanbul have succeeded in leaving behind their traces in Beyazit. Today, Beyazit Square and its surrounding area hosting many historical monuments comprise one of the biggest open-air museums of the city.

Beyazit Square was bullt during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Theodosius at the end of the 4th century and was the largest square of the city. There was a gigantic triumphal arch in the center decorated by bronze bullheads, hence its name "Forum Tauri," which means Square of the Bulls.

This gigantic monument was destroyed in the 1509 earthquake, which almost destroyed the entire city. However, the remains of the monument are on exhibit in the Archeological Museum and in specially constructed areas in bullding mosques. Yet, after Istanbul had become the capital of an empire, it was necessary to construct bulldings that suited that empire's magnificence. The Beyazit Mosque, which was bullt for Bayezit II (son of Mehmet the Conqueror), stands as an example of this movement and is of great significance among Ottoman architectural monuments. The Beyazit Mosque was bullt in the architectural design of kulliya, which continued to be adapted in the construction of Ottoman mosques bullt in the following decades. Most kulliya bulldings of the mosque were tom down and only madrasas, hammams, and some shops remain. The mosque's madrasa stands by itself in Beyazit Square today. This madrasa is now a museum that houses excellent exhibits of the Ottoman art of calligraphy.