Modern
Mimar Sinan Mosque (Ataşehir)
2011–2012 · Ataşehir
A vast 2012 mosque among the towers of Ataşehir (Hilmi Şenalp): the Ottoman idiom on a hexagonal plan — a central dome on six piers ringed by six half-domes.
- Height
- 42 m
- Minarets
- 4
- Built
- 2011–2012
- Architect
- Hilmi Şenalp
- Patron
- The Turkish state
- District
- Ataşehir
History
The Mimar Sinan Mosque stands in Ataşehir, the new business district on the Asian side, among office towers and housing blocks. It was commissioned by the Turkish state and designed by Hilmi Şenalp of Hassa Mimarlık; the mosque opened on 20 July 2012. It was originally to be called the "Anatolian Great Mosque" (Ulu Anadolu Camisi); the name was changed to honour Mimar Sinan, the chief Ottoman architect of the 16th century. It is among the largest mosques in Istanbul, holding between 10,000 and 12,500 worshippers.
Architecture
Şenalp built in the Ottoman idiom without copying a finished scheme. The plan rests on a hexagon: the central dome stands on six piers and is ringed by six half-domes — a configuration classical architecture sketched but never fully worked out. The hexagonal scheme is meant to express unity of space: the hall does not break into aisles, everything gathers towards a single crown. The central dome rises 42 m and the four minarets 72 m. Outside there is pale stone, lead-covered domes and a colonnaded courtyard whose alternating stonework gives the classical striped arches. Inside, a white and smoothly modelled volume carries painted pendentives, stained glass and an immense chandelier; the mihrab and minbar are carved marble, and the doors are inlaid with mother-of-pearl. A large underground level beneath the mosque holds a library, classrooms, conference halls, shops, a garage and a VIP lounge.
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