Neo-Ottomanism in Turkish Contemporary Mosque Architecture

How did the works of The Grand Ottoman Architect Mimar Sinan influence Hüsrev Tayla and Zeynep Fadillioglu's approach in the building of Sakirin Mosque?

Borrowing from tradition has always held significance across all artforms. It revolves around the idea of reflecting from standards of excellence set by historically celebrated artists through their traditional oeuvres that are widely acclaimed and agreed upon. However, as time passed, the world moulded art and its application according to the needs of the society in terms of cultural and historical context. Nevertheless, this seldom took away the traditional element from being incorporated into contemporary works. This might be due to the humane instinct of the society as a whole, being unable to adapt to radical changes without the presence of familiar aspects being integrated into newer styles of artforms. 

This theory can also be applied to the art of making buildings: architecture. One of the most popular forms of building in traditional Ottoman architecture is the Mosque, which is an Islamic house of worship. Since the Ottoman Empire was ruled by a Muslim-majority, it was greatly “inspired and sustained by Islam and Islamic institutions”(BBC, 2009. Para. 1). Turkey was the heart of the kingdom since what is now its capital, Istanbul, used to be the old capital city of Constantinople (BBC, 2009). The Ottoman Turks are historically famous for their stylistic architecture (LearningLumen, n.d).

Out of all the architects of the beautiful Ottoman buildings, Mimar Sinan (c. 1490 to 1588) was a legendary architect of his time. He was given the title of Koca Mi'mâr Sinân Âğâ, (Sinan Agha the Great Architect), for serving as the chief architect and civil engineer under the reign of  Sultans’ Suleiman the Magnificent, Selim II, and Murad III. Sinan and his works still hold great significance in the world of architecture. 

Not only was Sinan a source of inspiration for his contemporaries, but he also continues to rouse motivation and inclination toward his style of architecture in architects of the twenty-first century like Husrev Tayla and Zeynep Fadillioglu, through the physical omnipresence of his grand influential works such as his masterpiece e.g. Selimiye mosque at Edirne. So how did the style of mosque architecture by Mimar Sinan reflect in the works of contemporary 21st century architects Hüsrev Tayla and Zeynep Fadillioglu in the building of the modern Sakirin Mosque of Istanbul?

Background:

Even after the dissolution of the Ottoman Empire, mosques were continued to be made at a high rate since Islam had settled in as the fundamental religion of Turkey. Statesmen inclined towards focusing on the basic purpose of the mosque which is providing the community with a holy place to gather and offer prayers. This is why we see that after the end of the Ottoman period, mosques were confined down to smaller constructions made within neighborhoods with more of a “rational-functional” (Urey, 2010. p35) appearance rather than monumental styles of grandeur that had been built previously under the Sultanates' of Ottoman monarchs. Architects stuck to simpler, smaller designs that were inclined more towards a westernized movement of architecture away from the orthodox Ottoman style.

Moreover, in the twentieth century, the focus shifted to civil architecture rather than religious buildings as Turkey came into being as a country with a secular system of government; it shows that the focus was beginning to shift more on developing and modernizing the region and shifting religion away from the state’s political matters (Urey, 2010). The country’s matters started advancing more under a pluralist setting. This setting also ended up applying to architecture. 

An excellent example of a mosque appealing to this ‘Pluralist’ contemporary style is the Sakirin mosque: one of the many renowned monuments of modern Turkey (Urey, 2010. p.36). It was built during the early twenty-first century in 2009 by architects Husrev Tayla and Zeynep Fadillioglu. 

The background of this mosque’s design holds significance to the area of interest regarding our research topic due to two reasons. Firstly, the Sakirin mosque functionally is a monumental mosque that was anticipated to have a neo-ottoman style deriving from the combination of traditional styles of architecture from old Ottomanism and Avant-Garde architecture influenced by modernist styles from the West. The balanced traditional-modern aspect was important to include in the mosque since the making of modern, Western-influenced Mosque architectures was heavily criticised by religiously-conservative masses in cases like the building of the Kocatepe Mosque, etc. Due to this criticism from radicals, the authorities had to resign down to making sure all future designs went along with the traditional and functional qualities of a mosque (Moustafa, 2013. p.85). Therefore, the neo-Ottoman style, with its perfect balance of old and new, was thought best for constructing the Sakirin mosque. 

Secondly, the choice of architects played a huge role in meeting the intentions of creating the mosque’s architectural design in a way to enable this pluralist style of neo-Ottoman. The exterior designer is Husrev Tayla specialized in neo-Ottoman architecture. The interior of the Sakirin mosque was designed by Zeynep Fadillioglu, a globally-recognized interior designer. To explore further in regards to how the mosque reflects as a neo-Ottoman style building with inputs of both traditional and modern architecture, we will be visually comparing the Mosque design of Sinan, the most skillful and famous architect in traditional Ottomanism, with the contemporary work of Tayla and Fadillioglu at the Sakirin Mosque. 

Methodology:

The research question will be explored using visual analysis of  images found of relative works. Sinan’s works from Suleymaniye and Selimiye Camii will be compared to the architectural implementations in the interior and exterior of Sakirin mosque by Fadillioglu, Tayla and their team. This will help in analyzing through comparison and contrast of the traditional and contemporary mosque designs. The process will be availed by analyzing the function, ornament, compositional principles, plan scheme and material determining mosque-specific features like courtyard, mihrab, minaret and domes since these were found to be the most common and obvious elements composing mosques (Okuyucu, 2016). Moreover, external sources with textual descriptions of visual analysis of the mosques will be referred for more insight in the function, purpose and effect of the designs. 

Traditional Vs. Neo-Ottoman Mosque Architecture:

The architectural style of mosques made during the Ottoman period was heavily influenced by the fact that the empire was a sultanate of rulers who were known for their extravagance, glamour, and richness. The mosque was a huge part of the state governance and civilization since the Ottoman Empire was largely influenced by the movement of Islam within Asia minor. Religion was a big part of the Sultanate, and almost everything involved the fundamentals of Shariah. The mosque was a place where communities met and interacted; where the society made all their important decisions and where opinions of the masses were taken. It was a symbol of unity, equality, and faith. Being an Islamic monarchy, the number of Mosques and palaces that were built under a Sultan showed off the empire’s power and prosperity which is the reason behind their grand materialistic designs.

The larger mosques were called Camii and a considerably significant part of classical Ottoman architecture was dedicated in their makings. These would have a Kulliye made around the centrally-planned base of the mosque. 

In comparison to contemporary mosques, the viewer will find imperial Ottoman mosques relatively humongous in scale to modern-day mosques. The time and effort spent on them are invaluable in today’s time. These ancient mosques were constructed over spans of several years and sometimes decades. The manual labor spent all their sweat and toil over getting these lavish designs done, that too without any use of machinery unlike in modern contemporary architecture. Not to forget, the intricate and deluxe forms of calligraphy, engraved floral and abstract patterns and materials like marble, gold, and jewels input into their making is what makes them unique and traditional in contrast to contemporary mosques. 

Modern mosques made after the 20th century were subdued to simpler styles influenced mainly by the West. They contained features that were purposeful and practical rather than to add splendor to the building. 

The Iconic Style of Sinan: Suleymaniye and Selimiye Camii 

From the hundreds of architectural sites that come under the name of Sinan, the ones to be discussed in this essay are, by far, his finest works to exist, and are the ones relevant to our line of inquiry. 

Suleymaniye Camii:

Sinan approached the designing of the mosque building taking influence from the Byzantine Basilica to incorporate a connection “to the past of Turkey''(Turan, 2014. pp 207-8). Commissioned by the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman the Magnificient in 1550, Suleymaniye Camii was highly acclaimed worldwide due to its unique grandeur and finesse. The final site consisting of the mosque and Kulliye became a symbol of the Sultan’s power, depicting itself through the thoughtful, artistic decisions of Sinan, as one of the significant political, religious, and cultural hubs dominating over the empire (Turan, 2014. pp 207-8).

Utilizing methods of his own was what made Sinan stand out from his preceding architects and designers of the Ottoman empire. He used delicate and artful geometric relationships “using multiples of two” whilst “calculating ratios and proportions”(Great Sinan, 2008) The plan-scheme of the mosque and its multifunctional complex was square (see fig. 1).

Fig. 1. Suleymaniye Camii Square Plan-Scheme (Caliskan, 2014)

Fig. 2. Suleymaniye Camii exterior view of domes/minarets (Zararia, 2017)

But unlike his western contemporaries, Sinan was interested in “simplification than enrichment”. He focused more on achieving the largest volume under a single central dome rather than getting engrossed in achieving harmony and geometric 

perfection in space (Great Sinan, 2008). The main dome was built 53m high with a diameter of 27.25m with a single facade gallery (see fig.2). Sinan used a half-cubic roof design similar to that of Hagia Sophia, basing the dome on the circle representing abstractly a perfect God. Circle is a perfect geometrical figure thus metaphorically used to symbolize the omnipresence of a perfect God.

The structure was supported by two semi-domes extended into four quarter-domes along with other smaller assimilated domes around the building, all lead-coated and in harmonious symmetry (Necipoglu, 2005).  

    Fig. 3. Marbled peristyles of Suleymaniye Camii courtyard (Thomae, n.d)

The courtyard was made with extraordinary magnificence extended into a peristyle supported with marbled columns  (Necipoglu, 2005) (see fig. 3). A single stone minaret covered each of the four corners of the courtyard boundaries showing a rhythmic repetition in design. The minarets had altogether ten galleries traditionally

symbolizing Suleiman I as the tenth Ottoman Sultan (Necipoglu, 1985) (see fig.2)

Fig. 4. Interior of domed structure: Prayer hall Suleymaniye Camii (Go Turkey Tourism, n.d)

Within the interior of the mosque, the main dome forms a broad space with a square ground plan of width 59m and length 58m boasting a capacity to fit 27,000 people for prayer (see fig. 4). The structure is supported by semi-domes on two edges whilst the north and south are lined with arches containing tympana windows that stood on monoliths.  The buttresses ran through the piers that were supporting the semi-domes, instead of typically leaning against the piers. Serifes were used to hide the resulting protruding buttresses within the exterior and interior. This is a remarkable example of when Sinan chose to innovate his style artistically using his understanding and observation in the area of physics instead of relying on traditional methods (Necipoglu, 1985).

Fig. 5. Central dome Interior (Mikestravelguide, 2016)

The central dome was lined with calligraphy of Surah Nur(see fig. 5). The interior decor included windows with stained glass on the Qibla wall and hand-carved ornaments (see fig. 6).

Flanking the mihrab-niche from the upper side were roundels of large Iznik tiles with calligraphic text from Surah Al-Fatiha from the Quran (Necipoglu, 2005)(see fig. 6). The marble mihrab was surrounded with Iznik tile facings meanwhile the ground was covered with repeated blue, turquoise, red, and black floral patterns on rectangular white-glazed tiles. (Denny, 2004. pp 86, 209).

Fig. 6. Mihrab Süleymaniye Camii (Mammoser, 2011)

The minbar (see fig. 7) was made of white marble and subtle woodwork with simple designs compelled from ivory and mother of pearl (Denny, 2004).

Fig. 7. Minbar Suleymaniye Camii (Erol, n.d)

 

Fig. 8. Exterior view of Selimiye Camii (Diyanet Haber, 2021)

Selimiye Camii:

Engulfed upon an octagonal base for reinforcement, the central structure of Selimiye Camii is held by eight pillars sculptured in the form of a square-like shell of walls (see fig. 8). Every decision was made to provide the main central interior space with an airy, voluminous feel. 

Fig. 9. Exterior dome Selimiye Camii (Archnet, n.d)

A sense of “rhythmic harmony” was formed in the exterior view through the big and small opening arches bordered by “joggled voussoirs” also providing a burst of light and color within the central interior region (Weisben, 2015) (see fig. 9) .

Fig. 10. Selimiye Camii square plan-scheme (UPenn, 1996)

The Camii boasts of a square plan scheme (see fig. 10). The rectangular courtyard and rectangular prayer hall, both almost equal in dimensions of area, together measure 190 m in length and 130 m in width (Lewis, 2017).

The courtyard is low with small modest copulas and four slender minarets extending vertically from each corner of the structure. The center of the courtyard is occupied by a white marble fountain for ablution (see fig. 8 and 11). 

Fig. 11. Ablution fountain Selimiye Camii (Langer, 2015)

The front courtyard has been surfaced with white marmura marble striated with a subtle blue-grey tone, and it is surrounded by arcades with pointed arches from three sides (see fig. 11). The fourth side is dominated by a tall portico made in proportion to the interior hall. The arcades and portico are composed of red and white stone masonry and murals with “roundels of geometric motifs” (Archnet, n.d). The portico portal leading to the prayer hall has an interior decor of striated marble topped by a muqarnas hood (see fig. 12).

Fig. 12. Muqarnas hood Selimiye Camii (mapio, n.d)

The prayer hall is in the shape of a “block that tapers in three tiers to an octagonal drum” with its buttresses going upward in pinnacles, and the walls are massively paved with Iznik tilework (Great Sinan. 2008) (see fig. 13). 

Fig. 13. Prayer hall Selimiye Camii (Oner, 2017)

Narrow windows through the dome’s drum allow the passage of light rays into the interior space which are multiplied and spread by the huge Shamsa (sun-burst medallion) on the dome’s surface. It is engulfed around smaller medallions of Arabic Calligraphy (see fig.14).

Fig. 14. Dome interior Selimiye Camii (Oner, 2017)

 On ground level, straight under the dome is the muezzin-mahfili (prayer platform for callers to prayer) which is square and colonnaded supported by three arches on each side. This is a strange placement for typical Islamic architecture, and Necipoglu (1985) also compared this to the placement of altars in christian churches, highlighting Sinan’s interest in cross-cultural oeuvres (see fig. 15).

Fig. 15. Müezzin Mahfili Selimiye Camii (Cambaz, 2011)

The tall thin minbar is placed against one of the eight piers reinforcing the dome (see fig. 16). In the octagonal structure of the dome, all eight supporting edges have an arch attached leading to an arse-shaped bay. One of these arches contains  the mihrab, while others have windows letting in light.

 

Fig. 16. Minbar Selimiye Camii (Langer, 2015)

The ancillary Kulliye starts with two symmetrical square medersas which are on the back side of the mihrab archway (Lewis, 2017). This interior arch-passage had an opening outside that was blocked with a retaining wall to separate the central building from its Kulliyesi (see fig. 10).

Influence of Sinan on Contemporary Neo-Ottoman Works: Sakirin Mosque

Religion being a “hot button political issue” in 21st-century Turkey  (Watson, 2009), When the Sakirin mosque was commissioned, it was thought essential to keep the essence of tradition and contemporaneity balanced while integrating the classic Islamic Ottoman style and postmodernism features from the present times, within the mosque’s architecture. The two main designing architects who were hired for this project, Hüsrev Tayla and Zeynep Fadillioglu, had their work divided between being responsible for the exterior and the interior of the building respectively. 

(Exterior)

The mosque was made mainly from concrete and metals. This made the structure more strengthened and durable in comparison to materials that were used in the old Ottoman times such as stone and marble. The traditional elements of shape and presence of the dome and minaret were kept a part of the neo-Ottoman design. Red color was used in the interior of the shell dome (see fig. 17) which was conventionally covered with an aluminium composite panel on the exterior, taking away part of the orthodox dome effect usually seen in Islamic architecture different from typical marble/stones/brickwork domes seen in Islamic architecture.

Fig. 17. Sakirin mosque Interior View (UmmahSonic, 2018)

Fig. 18. Exterior View of Sakirin Mosque (Taylor, 2011)

The dome's four corners extended reaching ground level (see fig.18). With an overall area of 10 thousand square meters, the mosque has a capacity to fit 500 worshippers which is not as much as the capacity of 30 to 40 thousand in Selimiye Camii or the 27 thousand person capacity of Suleymaniye Camii. In comparison to Sinan’s work, the minarets are barely half the size. Also, they only have a symbolic presence with no function balconies (see fig. 18). Instead of an upper courtyard, there is a sub-courtyard enclosed by a peristyle which is made of repeated wagon-roofed arcades bordering it (see fig. 18 & 19). The dome stays accentuated from the rest of the structure similar to Selimiye camii. (see fig. 19) In the center of the courtyard is an ornamental fountain since an ablution fountain was not needed due to the presence of modern bathrooms inside. The fountain is a circular pool with a unique sphere metal cascade on which the main mosque is reflected. Outside, there is a private car park built according to modern requirements of the society. There is also an area for exhibiting oeuvres during cultural and artistic events (Moustafa, 2013) 

Fig. 19. Pool Fountain Sakirin Mosque (Mosqpedia, 2019)

(Interior)

The interior design of the mosque was a result of heavily remastering the works of Sinan through the use of technology and convention for practicality. The shell-domed prayer hall is almost the same size as the courtyard, similar to the proportions Sinan had used in his mosque buildings, employing a square plan scheme (see fig. 20). 

Fig. 20. Square Plan Scheme Sakirin Mosque (Okuyucu, 2016)

The interior of the dome enclosing the prayer hall is decorated by medallions of epigraphic bands that have Surah Mulk inscribed upon them in calligraphy enclosed with a single medallion in its epitome that has a verse from Surah Fatir (see fig. 17).

Fig. 21. Minbar and Mihrab, Sakirin Mosque (Mosqpedia, 2019)

The traditional elements of mihrab, minbar and pulpit are included, however with a modernistic touch, making a passive statement that “contemporaneity can not clash with aestheticism” of traditions necessarily (Moustafa, 2013. p108) reflecting Sinan’s school of thought. 

The mihrab is in a sophisticated and unique oval design with bright gold and turquoise polish (See fig. 21). The addition of the turquoise hue shows that the traditional use of color within mosque aesthetics was kept alive. The turquoise-blue shade is religiously significant and it symbolizes the “impenetrable universe” and “mystical qualities” (Rodrigues, 2008). In many ancient Islamic works, we can see that artists like Sinan extensively used this shade for their mural works in palaces and mosques. The cyanish-green Turquoise shade also compliments the red dome ceiling. 

 (see fig. 21 and 24) The acrylic-composed minbar and pulpit are equally unique in form along with their intricate decor in pseudo-Kufic and floral-vegetal inscriptions (Turan, 2014. p209).

 (see fig. 17 and 22) A huge bronze chandelier occupying massive space enclosing three rings with circles of plexiglass and rain-drop shaped crystal balls. The metallic gold rings are inscribed with a verse from Surah Nur. The chandelier is very similar in appearance to the ones in Sinan’s works such as Suleymaniye Mosque, the difference being that the latter had lanterns instead of lightbulbs depicting innovation. The raindrop shape of the chandelier-bulbs symbolize the love and compassion of God falling upon His people. This could be inspired from the similar works of Sinan where he abstracted the unity and omnipresence of God through the unified dome in Selimiye mosque, as well as attributed the circle of life through the perfect geometry of his structures. The importance of natural light was incorporated through the passage of light from the clear-glass dome voussoirs (See fig. 21).

Fig. 22. Sakirin Mosque Chandelier (AlFozan, 2019)

Fig. 23. Women’s prayer area Sakirin mosque (Bakkar, 2019)

A separate prayer area was reserved for women keeping in mind that in many traditional mosques like the works of Sinan, the women have had to pray in secluded rooms separated from the rest of the mosques’ beautiful interior with no view of the luxurious decorations. This idea was incorporated by Fadillioglu’s feminine touch since she said in an interview to CNN (2009) that women are usually pushed to the unappealing, inconvenient parts of the mosque for worship, and she would like to see equality between the two genders like Islam encourages. Thus, it was elevated above, overlooking the entire main prayer hall, and is illuminated with the view of the chandelier. The area can be seen surrounded by subtle grills of metal (see fig. 23) and it is accessed by a flight of stairs in a secluded section on the ground-level. 

(see fig. 24) The interior has mural inscriptions of pseudo-kufic forms of calligraphy. This is a part of the progressive side of the neo-Ottoman style of architecture since traditional works like that of Sinan, Muhaqqaq, Thuluth and Diwani fonts were used mostly. Like classical ottoman mosques such as Suleymaniye and Selimiye Camii, the interior of Sakirin mosque was decorated with many hand-carved ornaments as well as glass-gilded décor (see fig. 24) (Moustafa, 2013). 

Fig. 24. Mural Calligraphy, Sakirin Mosque (Eren, 2012)

Conclusion:

Compared to the classic Ottoman mosques made in imperial times by Sinan, the design of Sakirin mosque by Tayla and Fadillioglu is quite modernistic. This was expected since it is not practically possible to incorporate the same style from centuries ago into a building that is being made for a society living in a totally different historical context. Despite having the typical, recognizable structure of a mosque, many traditional features were eliminated in the neo-Ottoman building. The Sakirin mosque’s design had a simpler, practical approach; unlike imperial mosques, it did not contain a lot of extravagance or luxe in design. It was made more with the intentions of goodwill for the society as a large communal mosque rather than as a show of power or influence.

Alongside the eliminations, architects also reflected Sinan's traditional style through incorporating elements like color, illumination, geometry, harmonious symmetry and repetition into the three-dimensional-space design that were seen used in Sinan’s works too.

Through innovation, Tayla & Fadillioglu’s design were able to make an impression of the existence and power of Islam. Despite causing disapproval  and controversial disputes amongst the conservative masses due to its unique post modernist style, it was highly acclaimed by various professional and religious experts worldwide as the mark of a new era’s commencement in contemporary mosque architecture (Batuman, n.d). 

This is an accomplishment for Tayla and Fadillioglu since similar to the response received by Sinan’s differentiated innovative design of Selimiye mosque, they were recognized for customizing their architectural style instead of copying classic Ottoman mosques like most of their contemporaries. Their concepts were based upon freedom of expression, and advancing toward new and secular ideologies keeping up with Islamic themes that could settle in with modern society. This is evident from their practical approach, keeping the design and architecture hybrid with subtlety of traditional art and modern aestheticism. The Sakirin mosque was laid upon a traditional foundation preserving the past of classic Ottoman mosques through reflecting upon exceptional works of the past such as those of Sinan, as well as keeping up with the present postmodernist times thus deemed ‘Neo-Ottoman’ pluralist style. 

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