Courtyards of Selatin Mosques built in 19th century İstanbul

This thesis analyzes the sultan's appearance in public spaces through the courtyards of selatin mosques built in Ottoman Istanbul in the 19th century. It approaches the transformation of the mosque courtyards in the 19th century, religious and political ceremonies in which the palace interacted with the public, such as; the girding of the Sword, the Cülus Ceremony, Friday greetings, exchanging Bairam and Kandil greetings took place. It claims that, before 19th century, mosque courtyards were places where men and women; Muslims and non-Muslims could coexist and the phenomenon of urbanity could be experienced; and urban culture could meet in a non-religious way through the interactions of various ethnic and religious elements. It argues that, together with the construction of trade relations, these places were also regions of activity in economic terms besides their social functions. It suggests that the interactions that took place in the courtyards of the mosques were transformed due to political and natural reasons, with the establishment of the Nizamiye Courts in the 19th century and the changes in the zoning style of the city caused by fires. It argues that with this change, the phenomenon of sultan, which used to appear close to the people, including the ceremonies where the sultan could be seen closely by the public, began moving away from this approachability and influence over time, and the selatin mosques became "governmental masjids" with the effect of the structural differences between their architectural predecessors. Thus, it claims that with the influence of the architectural, political and social actions that took place during the 19th century, these places ceased to be areas where the understanding of urbanity could be realized, and turned into places where sanctitude was experienced more than functionality, and co-religionism took over.