Reconstructing Sixteenth-Century Istanbul: The Use of Digital Modelling as an Heuristic Tool in Architectural History Research

Abstract

In this paper, we draw upon digital 2D and 3D modelling techniques to analyse two sixteenth-century visual records of the city of Istanbul at that time: the Prospect of Constantinople by Melchior Lorichs (or Lorck) held at the University of Leiden, and the view of the Hippodrome and Hagia Sophia in the Freshfield Folio held at Trinity College, Cambridge. We propose that, through digitally-based analysis of these sources that matches aspect ratios and viewpoints, it is possible to extract new evidence for the topography and structures of the city during this period.