Comparative Analysis of Traditional and Modern Religious Buildings in Terms of Materials and Construction Techniques: The Turkish Mosques Cases

Abstract

Religious buildings are cultural symbols of societies in urban life. Mosque architecture, one of the religious structures that entered Turkish history and architectural culture with the acceptance of Islam by the Turks, developed over time and reached its peak in terms of architectural formation during the Ottoman period. Although religious buildings are thought to be less affected by social change throughout history, unlike other architectural structures, mosques are seen to be affected by the social and cultural structure that changes over time. Religious buildings, apart from being places of worship in social life, are also meeting points and social sharing areas. This situation shows that it will not be possible for religious buildings to remain indifferent to the changing needs, building materials and living standards over time. The aim of the study is to explain the use of developing and transforming materials and construction techniques in mosques in Türkiye. Within the scope of the study, the reflection of traditional and modern architecture in mosques was discussed and the transformation of buildings in different periods was examined. In this context, examples of traditional and modern mosques built in different periods were discussed with the comparative analysis method. By examining how the classical, iconic elements of mosque architecture were handled in a modern style, their changes in terms of materials and construction techniques were questioned. As a result, it is aimed to be a reference for future studies by looking at the architectural variations of changing religious buildings from past to present.