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When the Ottoman Turks
奧斯曼土耳其帝國
conquered Constantinople in 1453,
1453年征服君士坦丁堡后
instead of demolishing the Hagia Sophia,
他們并沒有推倒圣索菲亞大教堂
they converted it into a mosque.
而是將它變為了清真寺
But there was no escaping the fact
不可否認的是
that this conversion was superficial.
這一變化微不足道
Islamic elements had merely been bolted onto a church.
教堂建筑本身幾乎沒有什么伊斯蘭元素
Somehow, Christianity was always showing through.
而基督教元素卻始終呼之欲出
There came a time when this partial makeover
有一段時期 這種有限的改造
wasn't good enough.
并不令人滿意
Not, at any rate,
至少
for the greatest of the Ottoman rulers
奧斯曼偉大的君主蘇萊曼大帝
Suleiman the Magnificent.
對此非常不滿
His armies had cut a swathe through Christian Europe.
他的軍隊橫掃歐洲基督世界
So when he decided to build a new mosque,
所以他決定建造一座新的清真寺
unencumbered by Christian leftovers,
完全不受殘留的基督教元素束縛
he was making a point for Allah.
是為真主安拉而建
And he was making it directly at his rivals,
也是為了針對他的敵人
the holy Roman Emperor and the Pope.
神圣羅馬帝國皇帝和教宗
Ironically, the master builder ordered to create
諷刺的是 受命建這一禮拜用大清真寺的
the great Friday service mosque had been born a Christian.
偉大建筑師卻是基督教徒出身
Mimar Sinan was a Janissary,
米馬爾.希南是耶尼切里軍團的一員
converted to Islam as a child
童年改信伊斯蘭教
and conscripted into
然后被征召
the crack household troops of the Sultan.
加入了蘇丹派系復雜的軍隊
Sinan rose through the ranks
希南通過晉升
to become the greatest military engineer of his day.
成為了當時最偉大的軍事工程師
But he always felt himself destined for something greater
但他冥冥中覺得自己命中注定要干一件大事
than bridges and fortresses.
而不僅僅是建造橋梁和堡壘
"I wish to become an architect", he told his biographer,
他告訴傳記家 "我想成為一個建筑師
"So my perfect skills should leave art to the world."
這樣我完美的技術可以作為藝術展現給世界"
Suleiman's order was thrilling but daunting.
蘇萊曼的命令令他興奮 卻也是個挑戰
A great dome surrounded by half domes, four minarets,
大穹頂需要由半圓頂和四座尖塔拱衛
a structure as immense as the two-continent empire.
整個結構需要像橫跨兩大陸的帝國一樣龐大
A mosque that would eclipse Hagia Sophia.
這座清真寺需要讓圣索菲亞大教堂黯然失色
The visible proclamation of Islam's victory.
這是伊斯蘭教壯觀的勝利宣言
Sinan's great idea is the indivisibility of space.
希南的設計理念是空間不能分割開
The architectural proclamation of the union of all believers.
這是所有信徒團結一致的理念在建筑上的表達
Here, the space isn't chopped up by forests of columns
在這里 空間沒有被一根根立柱以及唱詩班
and barriers of choir and altar.
和圣壇的圍欄分割開
