Modern Mosques in Istanbul

We visited a lot of mosques during our time in Istanbul, most of which were centuries-old architectural masterpieces built by the Ottomans. But Islam is very much a modern religion, so we felt compelled to check out a couple of the city’s contemporary mosques, one in Kadiköy and the other in Umraniye.

Modern Mosques in Istanbul

Kadiköy’s beautiful Şakirin Camii, completed in 2009, has the distinction of being the first mosque in Turkey whose interior was designed by a woman. And Zeynep Fadillioglu made sure that the female debut in the world of mosque-design would be something memorable. The Şakirin’s blue mihrab and asymmetrical chandelier are unlike anything we’d seen in other mosques, and the whole place is just lovely. There’s an elegant fountain in the courtyard, and the large cemetery behind the mosque supplies a mournful backdrop.

Modern Architecture Mosque with gold

In the neighborhood of Umraniye, across a busy street from Istanbul’s IKEA store, is the defiantly modern Yeşilvadi Mosque. Most reminiscent of a small IMAX theater, this spherical mosque is probably the strangest we visited in Istanbul. A lot of mosques have domes, but this is the first time we’d seen a dome-shaped mosque. It’s just a shame about the location; the Yeşilvadi was completely empty during our visit. Apparently, a trip to IKEA doesn’t leave a lot of time for prayer.

Modern Mosque Architecture
Modern Mosques of Istanbul

This Post Has 6 Comments

  1. Diane

    Wow! These are marvelous images…ethereal even! 

  2. Musman

    awesome and inspiring ..capturing the beauty

  3. Hafeez Ahmed tatari

    God bless u people who made such a beautiful mosque I wish I can pray in this mosque ameen 

  4. muhammad zeeshan yahyah

    i need layout plan of this mosque

  5. moumen

    c’est vraiment tres beau que vous benisse

  6. Habiba

    Amazing pictures, its so sad the mosque is empty.

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