Structural Response of Ortakoy Buyuk Mecidiye Mosque Inistanbul

The Büyük Mecidiye Mosque in Ortaköy, Istanbul, is an emblematic building of the city with the unique Bosporus view. The original mosque was built in the 18th century. The current mosque, which was erected in its place, was ordered by the Ottoman sultan Abdülmecid and built between 1854 and 1856. Its contractors were famous Balyan’s and its architect is Abdülhalim Efendi [1]. The structure is designed in the Neo-Baroque style. The masonry dome of the structure was substituted with a relatively light reinforced concrete dome in 60’s, due to serious structural cracks observed on the dome triggered by soil movements towards the sea [2]. This paper discusses the results of an assessment effort that was focused on defining the seismic response of the structure. The results show that the RC dome transfers limited inertia forces to the substructure. Based on the analyses presented here, the dome is not expected to adversely affect the seismic response of the structure.