iod of Turkish architecture; the mosque of Sultan Bayezid II.
(1497-1505); the mosque of Sultan Ahmed I. (1610); Yeni-Valide-Jamissi
(1615-1665); Nuri-Osmanieh (1748-1755); Laleli-Jamissi (1765). The
Turbehs containing the tombs of the sultans and members of their families
are often beautiful specimens of Turkish art.

In their architecture, the mosques present a striking instance of the
influence of the Byzantine style, especially as it appears in St Sophia.
The architects of the mosques have made a skilful use of the semi-dome
in the support of the main dome of the building, and in the consequent
extension of the arched canopy that spreads over the worshipper. In some
cases the main dome rests upon four semi-domes. At the same time, when
viewed from the exterior, the main dome rises large, bold and
commanding, with nothing of the squat appearance that mars the dome of
St Sophia, with nothing of the petty prettiness of the little domes
perched on the drums of the later Byzantine churches. The great mosques
express the spirit of the days when the Ottoman empire was still mighty
and ambitious. Occasionally, as in the case of Laleli Jamissi, where the
dome rests upon an octagon inscribed in a square, the influence of SS.
Sergius and Bacchus is perceptible.

For all intents and purposes, Constantinople is now the collection of
towns and villages situated on both sides of the Golden Horn and along
the shores of the Bosporus, including Scutari and Kadikeui. But the
principal parts of this great agglomeration are Stamboul (from Gr.
[Greek: eis ten polin], "into the city"), the name specially applied to
the portion of the city upon the promontory, Galata and Pera. Galata has
a long history, which becomes of general interest after 1265, when it
was assigned to the Genoese merchants in the city by Michael
Palaeologus, in return for the friendly services of Genoa in the
overthrow of the Latin empire of Constantinople. In the course of time,
notwithstanding stipulations to the contrary, the town was strongly
fortified and proved a troublesome neighbour During the siege of 1453
the inhabitants maintained on the whole a neutral attitude, but on the
fall of the capital they surrendered to the Turkish conqueror, who
granted them liberal terms. The walls have for the most part been
removed. The noble tower, however, which formed the citadel of the
colony, still remains, and is a striking feature in the scenery of
Constantinople. There