Mosques of Turkey
The Turkish word for mosque is cami. The words mosque and cami both derive
from the Arabic. ln Arabic a mescit is a place where people gather but in Turkish
the word mescit is used for the small mosques, or prayer rooms, provided at airports, bus
stations, hospitals and other public places.
There is no direction in Islam about the type of building a mosque should be but before
a place can be called a mosque certain essential provisions must be made: There must be a
place for ritual ablutions to be carried out; there must be a prayer niche (mihrab)
which indicates the direction of Mecca (kible) from which the imam leads the
prayers and there must be a minaret (minare) from which the people are called to
prayer. This calling used to be carried out by the mullah (ezan) but is now more
likely to be a recording played through loud speakers.
Islamic law forbids statues or pictures of people or animals so these can never be
displayed in mosques but there is no prohibition on floral or geometric designs so these
are often used in carpets, wall hangings and pictures to provide decoration. Quotations
from the Koran, sometimes executed in precious materials and always with beautiful Arabic
calligraphy are also frequently seen.
The life of many mosques extends way beyond their religious function. It is often in
the mosque that the community meets to conduct political, social and administrative
activities.
The Anatolian type mosque dates from the 13th or 14th centuries and has a single dome
covering the main prayer hall. Arabic style mosques are build around a courtyard and often
have religious schools, shops and other facilities under the same roof.
The Anatolian type spread with the Ottoman Empire and beyond its borders. Masterpieces
of the style were created by the great architect Mimar Sinan of
which possibly the finest examples are the Selimiye Cami in Edirne and the Suleymaniye Cami that dominates the skyline of Istanbul.
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