Kocatepe Mosque
Encyclopedia
The Kocatepe Mosque is the largest mosque in Ankara
, the capital of Turkey
. It was built between 1967 and 1987 in the Kocatepe quarter in Kızılay
, and its size and prominent situation have made it a landmark that can be seen from almost anywhere in central Ankara.
In 1956, through the efforts of the late Adnan Menderes
, Prime Minister of the time, land was allocated for the project to build a mosque in Ankara, and a request for projects was made once again in 1957. This time thirty-six projects were evaluated, with the joint project of Vedat Dalokay
and Nejat Tekelioğlu being chosen as the one to be implemented.
The accepted project was an innovative and modern design. The construction started, but due to heavy critique from conservatives for its modernist look, the construction was stopped at the foundation level. Vedat Dalokay later built a modified version of the Kocatepe Mosque after winning an international competition for the Shah Faisal Masjid in Islamabad
, Pakistan
in 1969. This mosque, which can accommodate 100,000 worshippers, is one of the largest mosques of the world, and accepted by many as the frontiers of modern Islamic architecture
.
After a third architectural competition in 1967, a more conservative or nostalgic design by Hüsrev Tayla and M. Fatin Uluengin was chosen to be built. Completed in 1987, this project is built in a neo-classical Ottoman architecture style, and is an eclectic building made up from the Selimiye mosque in Edirne, and the Sehzade and Sultan Ahmet mosques in Istanbul.
Ankara
Ankara is the capital of Turkey and the country's second largest city after Istanbul. The city has a mean elevation of , and as of 2010 the metropolitan area in the entire Ankara Province had a population of 4.4 million....
, the capital of Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. It was built between 1967 and 1987 in the Kocatepe quarter in Kızılay
Kizilay
-Places:Cyprus* Kızılay, Cyprus the Turkish name for the town of TrachonasTurkey* Kızılay, Ankara, a neighborhood of Ankara, and one of the primary nerve centers of the city-Other uses:...
, and its size and prominent situation have made it a landmark that can be seen from almost anywhere in central Ankara.
History of the mosque
The idea of building the Kocatepe Mosque dates back to the 1940s. On December 8, 1944, Ahmet Hamdi Akseki, the Vice-President of Turkish Religious Affairs, along with seventy-two founding members, established a society known as the "Society to Build a Mosque in Yenişehir, Ankara." In 1947 this society called for projects to be drawn up by architects, but none of the submitted projects were accepted.In 1956, through the efforts of the late Adnan Menderes
Adnan Menderes
Adnan Menderes was the first democratically elected Turkish Prime Minister between 1950–1960. He was one of the founders of the Democratic Party in 1946, the fourth legal opposition party of Turkey. He was hanged by the military junta after the 1960 coup d'état, along with two other cabinet...
, Prime Minister of the time, land was allocated for the project to build a mosque in Ankara, and a request for projects was made once again in 1957. This time thirty-six projects were evaluated, with the joint project of Vedat Dalokay
Vedat Dalokay
Vedat Ali Dalokay was a renowned Turkish architect and a former mayor of Ankara.-Early life:He was born in Elazığ, Turkey in 1927 to İbrahim Bey from Pertek. He completed his elementary and secondary education in the same city...
and Nejat Tekelioğlu being chosen as the one to be implemented.
The accepted project was an innovative and modern design. The construction started, but due to heavy critique from conservatives for its modernist look, the construction was stopped at the foundation level. Vedat Dalokay later built a modified version of the Kocatepe Mosque after winning an international competition for the Shah Faisal Masjid in Islamabad
Islamabad
Islamabad is the capital of Pakistan and the tenth largest city in the country. Located within the Islamabad Capital Territory , the population of the city has grown from 100,000 in 1951 to 1.7 million in 2011...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
in 1969. This mosque, which can accommodate 100,000 worshippers, is one of the largest mosques of the world, and accepted by many as the frontiers of modern Islamic architecture
Islamic architecture
Islamic architecture encompasses a wide range of both secular and religious styles from the foundation of Islam to the present day, influencing the design and construction of buildings and structures in Islamic culture....
.
After a third architectural competition in 1967, a more conservative or nostalgic design by Hüsrev Tayla and M. Fatin Uluengin was chosen to be built. Completed in 1987, this project is built in a neo-classical Ottoman architecture style, and is an eclectic building made up from the Selimiye mosque in Edirne, and the Sehzade and Sultan Ahmet mosques in Istanbul.
External links
- Images of the Kocatepe Mosque
- 3D panoramic tour of the Kocatepe Mosque
- Model photos of Vedat Dalokay's unbuilt mosque design for the Kocatepe Mosque
- Animation of Vedat Dalokay's unbuilt mosque design for the Kocatepe Mosque
- Dimensions of the Mosque can be found in the 11th paragraph of this acoustical study of the mosque