The Importance of Plan Unit Design with Reference to Pedentive Dome Mosque Architecture in Early Ottoman Period in Balkan Region and Anatolia

This study analyses development of pedentive dome plan unit design in Ottoman mosques built from 13th to 15th centuries (Early Ottoman Period). An expansion of new territories ruled under Ottoman Empire in Eastern Europe (Balkan Region) and Anatolia yields an influence of Turkish mosque style to the regional architecture. The Ottoman rulers had granted construction of many new mosques to cope with increasing number of the Muslim population. There are many studies about Ottoman mosque architecture done before but these studies fall short in terms of studying the development in plan unit design and its influence to the form of the mosques as a whole. This research aims to study evolution of the plan design to the extent to which it affects the plan layout. The study applies qualitative method of analysis. The survey has conducted over 51 mosques in this region, and it analyses possible variations of the evolution to the plan designs which are derived from pedentive dome mosque style. The study finds that there are six categories of the plan designs which are single dome plan, earring dome plan, multiple dome plan, duplication dome plan, courtyard dome plan and earring-courtyard dome plan. Primary domes, secondary domes and semi-domes are identified as the factors which influence variations of the plan units. Pedentive dome mosque architecture in this period is derived from six plan designs which typify development of the mosque architecture in Ottoman Empire.