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Turkey\'s Largest Mosque: Çamlıca Mosque

Turkey\'s Largest Mosque: Çamlıca Mosque

Turkey\'s Largest Mosque: Çamlıca Mosque

This grand mosque located in one of Istanbul's hills is an architectural masterpiece with its amazing view over the Bosporus Strait. Çamlıca Mosque started its construction on 29 March 2013 and was open for prayers on 1 July 2016, but it was not finished until 3 May 2019. A special ceremony took place on that day with the contribution of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. With a capacity of 63,000 people, Çamlıca Mosque is the biggest mosque built in the Republic of Turkey's history. It has an area of 57,500 square meters. This grand mosque has numerous hidden features and mesmerizing architecture as it is the most expensive mosque in Turkey. Its design was mainly inspired by Ottoman architecture and Mimar Sinan's works, and it was designed by two female Turkish architects, Bahar Mızrak and Hayriye Gül Totu.

Çamlıca Mosque has a unique architectural design that differs from other mosques. The radius of the dome in this mosque is 34 meters symbolizing Istanbul's code, and the dome's height is 72 meters representing 72 cultural identities that live within Istanbul. There are many more features that embody various values of Turkish culture. There are sixteen different names of Allah engraved on the ceilings of the mosque's dome correlating with sixteen Turkish states that existed throughout history. Nine minarets surround this great mosque. Six of them are 90 meters and two of them are precisely 107,1 meters, symbolizing Turkish victory in the Battle of Manzikert. The Battle of Manzikert holds significant importance as this battle between the Turkish state Seljuks and Byzantines guaranteed Turkish control in the Anatolia Region.

17,000 square meter special rug was used inside this mosque. In order to ease access inside the mosque, there are 24 walking stairs and 27 elevators. In addition, there is a 3500 square meter special art gallery and a car park with a capacity of more than 3000 cars. A chandelier with a weight of 7 tons is located in the center of the Çamlıca Mosque. This fascinating mosque has several hoops entangled, with its biggest having a radius of 32 meters. As Çamlıca Mosque is able to host 68,000 prayers, it is also able to be home to 32,000 people for various community projects.

This mosque holds prominent value in Istanbul with its details, size, view, capacity, and more. Çamlıca Mosque cost 66,5 million US Dollars, being the biggest mosque in Turkey. It receives a large number of visitors every day. This mosque's grand library manages to attract the attention of people of all ages. There are countless seminars and conferences held every week on Çamlıca Mosque's conference halls. Many engineers worked relentlessly in order to provide the best manners of light, heating, sound, and security for this mosque.

Being able to be seen all around Istanbul, Çamlıca Mosque is a must-to visit place. With its constantly growing community and new features, this mosque brings a lot of value to Istanbul.