Yenal, Engin and German, Murat. Bir
Kent: İstanbul 101 Yapı. İstanbul: Yapı Kredi Yayınları, 2001, 357pp.

ABSTRACT

A
City: Istanbul, 101 Structures

Bir
Kent: İstanbul 101 Yapı

The book
provides historical and spatial information on the most striking examples of
Byzantine and Ottoman buildings in Istanbul. The authors criticise and gives
examples of the distorted urbanisation and complicated urban organisation in
the city. The photographs occupy as much space as the articles and the fact
that the buildings under discussion are photographed from various angles
provides the book with visual material of good quality. 101 examples of all
types of architectural structures are presented, including palaces, mosques,
churches, fountains, baths and houses, which were built in the city at various
times, in different styles using a number of techniques.

These structures
are examined under the following topics: Sur-i Sultanı, Topkapı Palace,
Sultanahmet and its vicinity, important structures in the area from Haliç to
the Marmara Sea, the area within the city walls, the area outside the city
walls, historical structures at the northern gate of Haliç, Galata-Pera,
Bosphorus-Rumeli, Anatolian-Asian side and Üsküdar–Kadıköy. While giving this
information, the authors also includes some analysis from historians of
architecture.

When discussing
works from the Byzantine and Ottoman periods, the authors provides details
about the architectural qualities and historical background of Byzantine
churches that have been turned into mosques. At times, they do not give
references when providing historical information and employs a distinctive
language with frequent exclamation marks to emphasise thier personal opinion.
With its wealth of visual material, the book offers introductory knowledge to
the main historical structures of the city and will make for a pleasurable
read.

Feryal
Tansuğ

Translated
by Aysu Dincer