Turkey's first mosque designed by a woman was opened in Istanbul yesterday. Here are a lot of photos.
Firstly, I must clarify something: Zeynep Fadillioglu, a femail designer, has designed the interior of Sakirin Mosque, which is inside the Karacaahmet Cemetery on the Asian side of the city. The architect of the mosque is Husrev Tayla, a male expert.
Some found this mosque Orientalist, but I agree with Mustafa Cagrici, the Grand Mufti of Istanbul, who stated that this mosque is "both modern and respectful of Turkish culture."
As an enthusiast of old Ottoman mosques, I liked Sakirin Mosque in general.
What I liked:
* The dome and the minarets
* The garden and the fountain
* Some decorative details, like the dripping chandellier.
What I didn't like:
* The post-modern design of the the crescent-shaped mihrab on the quibla wall, as well as its color. Blue disturblingly contradicts with the red ceiling.
* Lack of ceiling and wall ornaments, like we see in Sultanahmet Mosque, where Pope Benedict XVI and Obama had also visited.
Even though I can sympatize with the feminist joy, I still believe that the architecture of the mosque overcome the class of the interior design. It could be better inside, but I'm happy to see that -whether perfectly or not- at least a woman did it; not another boring man...
