New cultural centre in Istanbul

City of the Sun, beautiful Istanbul amazes us with its new architectural creations. Recently, in the Üsküdar area at the oldest Marmara university (Marmara Üniversitesi) a new cultural center has been opened. The center is located next to the Faculty of Theology (Ilahiyat fakültesi). Its territory takes 20,000 squares meters -- very impressive!

Projects of famous extraordinary Turkish architect Muharrem Hilmi Şenalp continue to amaze people around the world. Architect's works were implemented in America, Japan, Germany and many cities in Turkey.

About 60 projects of the architect are located in different cities and countries. Unique forms and combinations of different styles surprise the imagination. Muharrem Hilmi Şenalp graduated as an architect in Istanbul. After that he was densely engaged in studying different styles of Turkish architecture. He strives to bring his work closer to nature and breathe in it a variety of geometric forms. All the creations of Muharrem Hilmi Şenalp are filled with music and harmony of 3-D forms.

Muharrem Hilmi Şenalp was born in Konya. His birth is very symbolic because Konya was the capital of the Turkish Seljuk state (1071) and classical Ottoman (Turkish) architecture style originates from early Seljuk's architecture. The architect's scientific research was conducted in this direction. Over the years, Muharrem Hilmi Şenalp has developed his own unique architecture style. You can see the structure of the mosque's dome from the inside at the photo. It resembles a heavenly ship (nautilus), which tends to reach the sky, or a dervish dancing in deep meditation -- delightful and dynamic combination of geometric shapes!

Shape of the outer part of the dome is made in the Ottoman style. Further, the design transforms into a complex twelve-sided construction in the form of eight-meter steps, which is the author's interpretation of Seljuq's style. The mosque's minarets look like the swallow's wings! Inside and outside the building you can feel like you are flying in the sky. This is the only mosque in Turkey which is made of steel. The construction took more than 500 tons of this material! The most modern technologies are involved here.

Center of modern culture is located on two floors. Huge geometric figures and shapes are floating on the ceiling of the structure. The space of the modern mosque is distributed in the most comfortable way. The place for prayer rituals is located in the center of the building. There are many entrances.

This is how the mosque's first floor looks like. There are beautiful columns, huge windows, ceilings filled with 3-D forms and magical back lights and patterns.

There is a wooden partition on the left. Women are only allowed to stay on that side of the partition. According to Muslim traditions, men and women pray separately. This was done in order to prevent men from being distracted during their prayers. Tourists also can visit Turkish mosques if they follow certain rules. Legs should be covered, a woman's head must be covered. In winter it can be a hat. Everyone has to remove their shoes at the mosque's entrance.

On the second floor there is a cafe and a bookstore with an impressive selection of books on a surprising variety of subjects. For example, Russian classics fill a separate niche in the store. You can choose any book, sit and read quietly, and then decide on the purchase. We spent several hours in this very friendly environment and, of course, left with some treasures.

It is very pleasant to see a lot of students in a cafe. This great reading room was created for them. On the same floor there are classrooms of theological faculty. Free space on the first floor is decorated with a beautiful fountain.

Above the fountain there is a place filled with tables and chairs where you can comfortably sit and chat with your friends over a cup of tea. There is also a wonderful gallery and very spacious conference room in the building. The mosque can accept more than 5000 visitors.

This photo shows the second floor of the mosque with beautiful architectural groups. In the center of the room there is an illuminated fountain. It's very common for mosques to be decorated with small fountains. The room is light and cozy. Only men are allowed to pray here.

There is a special place inside the mosque where a true believer can prepare for service. This place can be called a place for meditation.

This is a photo of a fountain in the form of a miniature mosque.

This is the decoration style of small rooms with beautiful tiles. The doors to the conference room look very festive!

The dome of the room gives a certain magic aura. It is very light and beautiful here. Star variations are performed both on the dome and on the floor.

In the mosque's courtyard there is a fountain in the Ottoman style. It's a pity that it did not work when we walked there. The central part of the fountain is all made of tulips, which are a symbol of Turkey. It looks awesome!

In Istanbul be sure to visit the cultural center in Uskudar, Mahir Iz Caddesi 2/2 (Ускюдар, Mahir Iz Caddesi 2/2), Altunizade Mahallesi. Near the cultural center there is a first in Istanbul shopping center "Capitol".

Building of Theological faculty of the University of Marmara is also located here. It's very gratifying to observe that every year new cultural centers are opened in different regions. Since Turkey is a densely populated country, it is very necessary to pay attention to intellectual and cultural development to increase the number of educated people. In conclusion, please watch this short video about the outside territory of the cultural center.

You can get to the Marmara University cultural center from Üsküdar by buses № 11D, 12ÜS, 11L, 11M, 11C.

from Kadıköy: 14Y, 14K, 14R, 14.
Bus stop is AVM "Capitol" or Şehit Erol Olçok.
All the photos and videos are from the author's private archive.
Sincerely from Turkey,
@rosy440

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