Turkey's Sancaklar Mosque: A new direction for Islamic architecture?

ISTANBUL

By Tuncay Kayaoglu

With its humble exterior and unadorned interior, Sancaklar Mosque challenges the conventions of mosque construction. Located in Buyuk Cekemce in the suburbs of Istanbul, it contrasts with the domes, long minarets, elaborate calligraphy and colourful tiles of the city's more famed mosques.

It is striking to view a large rectangular shape that sits on top of a hill, welcoming both worshippers and visitors. A good portion of the mosque is buried within the hill, so entering into the main worship area requires descending to the bottom of the slope. 

In contrast to Istanbul's Blue Mosque, which dominates the city's skyline, Sancaklar Mosque seems as if it has been peacefully absored by the surrounding hillside. 

Inside, do not expect to see an interior adorned with calligraphy of Koranic verses or beautiful tiles in the style of the Blue Mosque. In this simple interior there is only one verse: “Remember your Lord much.”

This simplicity makes the mosque unusual but it has also stirred controversy among Turkish intellectuals. “That modesty is too much," says  Professor Ahmet Turan Alkan. "It is like a mosque trying to hide itself from eyes, as if it were a defected structure.”  

Municipal officials were also reluctant to approve the mosque first and Suat Sancak, who heads the foundation that financially backed the mosque, confesses that “because it is in contradiction with the acceptant form of a mosque, officials showed resistance at the beginning. When [the mosque's designer] Emre Arolat depicted the project, officials lowered their objections and approved the project.”

Arolat, who had never designed a mosque before, says that his designs were inspired by the modesty of mosques built in the earliest years of Islam. 

“If I wanted to hide the mosque, I would not have built it in the first place. I wanted the mosque to become a natural part of the land," he says. “Modesty is a very important concept in Islam. It is not welcomed that every mosque tries to manifest itself in a spectacular way.”

“When we look at mosques built during the early times of Islam, we do not see mosques that we see in Turkey right now. For example, they did not have domes.” 

Ahmet Turan Koksal, an architecture expert at Zirve University, agrees that Arolat's minimalist design suits its religious purpose. “I think the mosque grasped attention because of its hidden nature. Since the mosque is hidden, it clearly manifests itself and its philosophy,” he says.

The mosque has also drawn attention from abroad, receiving the “Best Religious Building” award at the 2013 World Architecture Festival held in Singapore and gaining the admiration of tourists, international media and other architects. 

The discussion around Sancaklar Mosque has left some wondering whether it will open a new chapter in mosque construction, which has changed little since the era of the Ottoman Empire. Professor Koskal is amongst those who believe there should be more innovation: “Of 85,000 mosque across Turkey, 70,000 of them are built after 1950. At most, there are 50 different types.” 

Arolat however, is more modest about what his designs may achieve. 

 “We did not aim for that. It can create a small question mark among people about the form of mosques though.” 

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