Mosques as symbols of Islamic civilization: Religious, political and aesthetic discussions on contemporary mosques

This study named "Mosques as symbols of Islamic civilization: religious, political and aesthetic discussions on contemporary mosques" examines the mosques in a globalizing world while perceptions continuously change at a local and international level. How has the meaning of the mosque as one of the symbolic elements of Islamic civilization changed? In this context what are the religious, political and aesthetic discussions involving mosques? Mosque, a central motif of the Islamic civilization, is examined through classical and contemporary examples for its social and aesthetic value and its manifestation of civilizational change and transformation. Contemporary mosques in Istanbul; Şakirin, Ataşehir Mimar Sinan and Çamlıca mosques are the primary figures of the discussion while Köln Central and Roxbury and Kocatepe Ankara Mosques are also selected as exemplary symbols of social and cultural discussions. Keywords: Islamic Civilization; Symbol; Mosque; Aesthetics; Architecture