Evaluation of the transition from traditional mosque architecture to contemporary turkish mosque architecture through symbolic meaning

The concept of religion, emerging with society, has diversified with humanity's cultural development. Each religion has shaped its places of worship. These worship spaces, which connect God and society, cannot be evaluated separately from religion. In this context, we can examine mosques, the places of worship in Islam. Islam does not provide specific guidelines for the form and design of mosques. As a result, mosques have been designed differently across various cultures throughout history. Through cultural interactions, mosques have developed significant forms and meanings over the centuries, becoming important societal values. Each part of a mosque contains symbolic meanings. This study looks at how mosque structures have changed over time through their symbolic meanings. The goal is to see how design approaches, influenced by changing socio-cultural needs, affect the structural elements. In this thesis, while studying the worship structures in Islam, a general overview of architecture in the Islamic world is provided to understand the historical development. The main section focuses on the development of Ottoman mosque architecture and compares it with examples of contemporary mosque architecture in Turkey. The mosque examples in this study show that changing approaches to spatial organization have influenced symbolic meanings from the past to the present. The way cultural changes reflect on structures is evident in materials and forms. Designing spaces with new approaches has led to different interpretations of structural elements. As a result, different approaches to finding meaning are observed. Symbolic meanings continue from the past to the present with new forms of expression. KEYWORDS: Contemporary Turkish Architecture, Islamic Architecture, Mosque, Sacred, Symbolic Meaning, Traditional Architecture