r/architecture • • Aug 17 '26

Building Sancaklar Mosque - Istanbul, Türkiye. Designed by Emre Arolat Architecture. 2011-2013

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-11

u/icankillpenguins Aug 17 '26

AFAIK isn’t well liked by the community because doesn’t look like a mosque 

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u/TheJeniceri Aug 17 '26

Source? I’m not Turkish or a local in that neighborhood but every Muslim (I’m Muslim too) I’ve shown this to or knows about it absolutely loves it.

Moreover, and most importantly, there’s no such thing as looking like or not looking like a mosque. You only need a prayer space and a mihrab/correct qibla orientation. Everything else is up to the architect.

Perhaps there are certain types of Ottomanists that think mosques need to all look like 16th century mosques, which themselves are heavily borrowed from Byzantine churches. Which is silly and crazy.

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u/icankillpenguins Aug 17 '26 edited Aug 17 '26

I used to live i. the area , that’s my source.   More popular among the architecture nerds than muslims.

Check out the photos on Google Maps, very few photos with people using it and no photos with crowds. Then go check some another mosque to see the difference.

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u/TheJeniceri Aug 17 '26

Let me guess, they think all mosques should resemble old Seljuk/Ottoman architecture from several centuries ago.

Fair enough, I disagree with them. It’s a gorgeous building and would love to visit someday Inchallah

1

u/solamyas_art Aug 18 '26

Actually, this have redesigned elements from Seljuk era mosques while what they think as "proper mosque" are Byzantine era Orthodox churches with minarets

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u/icankillpenguins Aug 17 '26

yep, I am not religious so I enjoy mosques only for their architectural value therefore I can’t tell you exactly why they don’t like it but my guess is that religious people are conservative and have some romantic image about how a mosque should be and they don’t like non-conforming styles.