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New Mosques in Turkey

New Mosques in TurkeyThere was a mosque on a hilltop in the Besiktas district of Istanbul that appeared to be as old as time itself. Then I looked a little closer at a little bronze plaque over one of it’s doorways:The year 1996 was printed on it.I confirmed this observation with a Turkish friend later [...]

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New Mosques in Turkey

There was a mosque on a hilltop in the Besiktas district of Istanbul that appeared to be as old as time itself. Then I looked a little closer at a little bronze plaque over one of it’s doorways:

The year 1996 was printed on it.

I confirmed this observation with a Turkish friend later that evening, and found out that my assumptions were correct: this was a new mosque built in the traditional style.
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Wade from Vagabond Journey.com
in Istanbul, Turkey- February 18, 2009
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I can remember questioning an architect in Hungary about why the Hungarians do not make buildings in the grand old style of the past, and he basically told me that doing so was not an option, as the job of the architect to design buildings that fit their own time.

Modern Architecture in Hungary

This mosque in Istanbul is less than 15 years old, yet, from afar, it looks to be as old as the the Prophet’s revelations themselves. When I looked a little closer at this new mosque it became apparent that it was built with modern materials using modern means. The minaret was formed with a rebar structure solidified with concrete, and all of the ornate designs were not made through carving but through concrete molds. The body of the mosque was build with bricks and made to look ornate. Only the basic style and structure of the mosque remained unchanged.


This mosque shows a blending of two worlds, the coming together of two times, in a city that has one foot in the East and the other in the West.

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New Mosques in Turkey

Filed under: Eastern Europe, Europe, Turkey

About the Author:

I am the founder and editor of Vagabond Journey. I’ve been traveling the world since 1999, through 91 countries. I am the author of the book, Ghost Cities of China and have written for The Guardian, Forbes, Bloomberg, The Diplomat, the South China Morning Post, and other publications. has written 3699 posts on Vagabond Journey. Contact the author.

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