The Death of an East Mediterranean

"In his "Suleymaniye," Stefanos Yerasimos [1942-2005] studied the Suleymaniye Mosque (Blue Mosque) in depth, which was built in the prime of the Ottoman Empire as a sign of the magnificence of the time. His book places this "magnificent" monument in its historical and architectural context and provides details ranging from the materials used in the construction to the organization of the construction yard and the construction chronology. ... Yerasimos did not look at events ideologically; he had no obsession. He knew Ottoman Turkish and Byzantine Greek and he comparatively used texts in both of these languages in his studies. His knowledge of these two languages deeply shaped his world outlook. He was an East Mediterranean."













Blue Mosque, 1616, Sedefkar Mehmet Aga, architect
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