Şakirin Mosque

The Şakirin Mosque sits within the Karacaahmet Cemetery complex, its contemporary design a striking contrast to the centuries of Ottoman graves surrounding it. The interior is remarkable — a large chandelier descends from the central dome like a shimmering waterfall, the mihrab is set into an abstract water feature, and the women's gallery features an intricate lacework screen. Natural light is used with unusual sophistication throughout.

The mosque is functional and open for prayer throughout the day. Non-Muslim visitors are welcome outside prayer times, and the building is worth seeking out even for those with no specific interest in religious architecture — the interior is simply one of the more beautiful spaces in contemporary Istanbul.

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A story
The Şakirin Mosque opened in 2009 as the first mosque in Turkey designed by a woman — architect Zeynep Fadıllıoğlu. Her brief was to design a contemporary mosque within the Karacaahmet cemetery complex, and the result is a building that satisfies the requirements of Islamic worship while being unmistakably 21st-century. Traditionalists were sceptical; the mosque has since been cited in architectural publications around the world as evidence that Ottoman aesthetic principles are still capable of generating vital contemporary architecture.

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