The Mimar Sinan Mosque is a mosque in the Ataşehir district of Istanbul, Turkey. It was inaugurated in 2012.[1][2]

Mimar Sinan Mosque, with Uphill Court in the background

The mosque was commissioned by the Turkish government and designed by architect Hilmi Şenalp. Originally intended to be named the "Anatolian Great Mosque", then prime-minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had the name changed to honor Mimar Sinan (16th century), a famous Ottoman architect. Erdoğan stated at the inauguration that the Anatolian side of Istanbul had lacked a "selatin" (literally "sultans", imperial) mosque like the Mimar Sinan Mosque.[3][4] At the event, Erdoğan gave visiting dignitaries a miniature replica of the mosque, mimicking a ritual of the Ottoman sultans.[2][1]

The mosque has a capacity of 10,000-12,500 people. The central dome is 42 meters high, and the minarets 72 meters. The complex has a large underground area, which includes a library, classrooms, conference halls, shops, garage and VIP lounge.[2][3]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b Rizvi, Kishwar (8 October 2015). The Transnational Mosque: Architecture and Historical Memory in the Contemporary Middle East. UNC Press Books. pp. 199–200. ISBN 978-1-4696-2117-3.
  2. ^ a b c "Turkish premier calls for "solidarity"". Sabah. 21 July 2012. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  3. ^ a b Batuman, Bülent (22 December 2017). New Islamist Architecture and Urbanism: Negotiating Nation and Islam through Built Environment in Turkey. Routledge. pp. 56–58. ISBN 978-1-317-35800-8.
  4. ^ Behrendt, Norman; Hansen, Suzy (14 June 2017). "Reading Erdogan's Ambitions in Turkey's New Mosques". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 July 2021.

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