A mosque with the world's highest minaret is under construction in Istanbul. Critics of the project say it was badly planned and fear it represents a step towards a stronger Islamic influence in Turkey.
The highest hill in Istanbul is in the district of Camlica, located on the Asian side of Turkey's largest city. It is a popular viewpoint to admire the skyline of the ancient metropolis, featuring a minaret of a historical mosque that dates back to the times of the Ottoman Empire.
But in the near future, all eyes might be on the hill itself. This is the future site of a "huge" mosque that, when built, would be seen "from any point in Istanbul," according to Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Construction of the controversial project started in March. According to the Turkish newspaper "Today's Zaman," the property will be a 15,000 square meters (161460 square feet), or more than 2,000 soccer fields. The construction costs are estimated to be 43 million euros ($57.4 million) and the mosque will have space for some 30,000 people.
"When it comes to size, the project is very demanding. We will build an even bigger dome than our ancestors," said Haci Mehmet Güner to the Turkish newspaper "Hürriyet." Erdogan recently named him the head architect of the mosque project. "The mosque will have the world's highest minaret; it will be even bigger than the 105-meter-high minaret of the Medina-i Munawara mosque in Medina, Saudi Arabia."
"Erdogan is trying to compete with the sultans"
Opponents of the mega mosque have criticized the entire design of the project.
"Erdogan decided all by himself that a mosque is to be built in Camlica," Oguz Öztuzcu, former president of an independent architecture firm in Istanbul, told DW. "Usually a city planner, architect organizations and universities are consulted in order to achieve the best results in the end."
According to Öztuzcu, the jury that selected the best architecture design was comprised of government employees who did not approach the project independently: "The decision had been made beforehand; the size, the architecture style and the place. That's not a real competition."
ERDOGAN IS NOT GOING TO REST TILL HE TURNS TURKEY INTO AN ISLAMIC SHIT HOLE NO MATTER WHAT THE COST.
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http://www.dw.de/mosque-construction-sparks-controversy-in-istanbul/a-17041396
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