The influence of the Ottoman architectural style on the designs of modern mosques in Baghdad

In this study, the influence of the Ottoman style on the construction of mosques in Baghdad was studied, and the extent to which this influence continued in the contemporary mosque architecture in Baghdad was investigated. This research consists of two main sections, through which mosque and architectural elements were selected for Al-Muradiyya Mosque, as it was built during the Ottoman rule of Baghdad (1570). These elements were analyzed, which are the planning style and include the shape of the inner sanctuary, the presence of the open courtyard, and the shape of the front porch. The basic symbolic architectural elements were also analyzed, including the minaret in terms of the shape of the base, the shape of the body, the shape and number of the balcony, the decorations and the materials used in its construction. The symbolic architectural elements were also examined, including the columns in terms of the shape and location of the cross-section of the column, the capitals used at the top of the column, the presence of the central dome and the secondary domes and their location. Then it was compared with the same elements present in the mosques that preceded the Ottoman rule on the one hand, and with the same elements present in the Ottoman mosques in Turkey on the other hand. Mosque and architectural elements were selected each of Umm Al-Tabul Mosque (1968) located on the Karkh side of Baghdad and Al-Nida Mosque (1997) located on the Rusafa side of Baghdad, as they are among the contemporary mosques in Baghdad. The elements of the mosque were analyzed according this method used in Al-Mouradia Mosque. The results proved that the selected mosques were influenced by the Ottoman style, as the comparative analysis of both the planning pattern and the structural elements showed that the use of the roofing system with one central dome and the presence of the front porch in these mosques is unparalleled in the mosques built in Baghdad before that period. It was concluded that the Ottoman style had an impact on the construction of mosques in Baghdad since the fifteenth and fifteenth centuries, and this influence is still continuous and continuous and has become an integral part of the contemporary Iraqi mosque architecture, because of the functional and aesthetic purposes characterized by the design characteristics of the Ottoman style.