Bulbous Roofs in Late Ottoman Architecture: An Istanbul Case Study on Morphological Diversity and Politics of Representation

This study examines the bulbous roofs appearing in buildings constructed or comprehensively restored in the capital city of Istanbul during the late Ottoman period, moving beyond the one-dimensional interpretations predominantly found in existing scholarship. While previous research has largely attributed these Eastern-origin forms directly to a conscious “Orientalist” or “self-orientalizing” mindset orchestrated by the palace or patrons, this paper provides a comprehensive comparative analysis. The structures examined include the Selimiye Barracks, Taksim Artillery Barracks, Ahmed Afif Pasha Mansion, Theron Damon Mansion, Heybeliada Madam Mari Mansion, Çengelköy Vahdettin Mansion, Alay Köşkü (Procession Pavilion), Arnavutköy Anonymous Mansion, Dikranyan Mansion, Huber Pavilion, Sirkeci Terminal, Mekteb-i Tıbbiye-i Şahane (Imperial School of Medicine), Dolmabahçe Clock Tower, Kumkapı Tavaşi Süleyman Agha Mosque, Hidayet Mosque, Kadirihane Tekke Hacı Piri Mosque, Akbıyık Masjid, Sheikh Zafir Tomb, and Hobyar Mosque. The research follows a four-stage methodology, categorizing these forms according to their morphological attributes and analyzing them within the contexts of aesthetic, urban-architectural, and political representation layers. The resulting data indicate that bulbous roofs emerged as a composite resultant of the desire to create focal landmarks in the urban silhouette, 19th-century eclecticism, the pursuit of diplomatic prestige, and the aesthetic tastes of period patrons and architects.