Kocatepe Mosque
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Kocatepe Mosque is the largest mosque in Ankara, the Turkish capital and the second largest mosque of Turkey. The mosque is built between 1967 and 1987 in the Kocatepe quarter in Kizilay, and its size and prominent situation have made it a landmark that can be seen from almost anywhere in central Ankara.
[edit] The history of Kocatepe Mosque
The idea of building the Kocatepe Mosque dates back to the 1940’s. On December 8, 1944, Ahmet Hamdi Akseki, the Vice-President of Turkish Religious Affairs, along with seventy-two founder 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 those submitted was accepted.
In 1956, with the efforts of the late Adnan Menderes, the Prime Minister of the time, land was allocated for the project to build a mosque in Ankara. The 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 Tekelioglu being chosen as the one to be implemented.
The accepted project was an innovative and modern design. The construction started, but due to heavy critizations from conservatives for the modern look and features of this modernist design, the construction was stopped at the foundation level. Vedat Dalokay proved the excellence of this design, when a modified version of the Kocatepe Mosque won the international competition for the Shah Faisal Masjid in Islamabad, Pakistan in 1969. This mosque for 80.000 whorshippers is one of the biggest mosques of the world, and accepted by many as the frontiers of modern Islamic architecture.
After a third competition on 1967, the mosque today is finally accepted to be built. Completed in 1987, it is built in the 16th century Ottoman architecture style; and resembles the Blue Mosque in Istanbul.
