In Turkey, there are more than 80,000 mosques, which are all built by men, except one. That one is the Şakirin Mosque in Istanbul, designed by Zeynep Fadillioglu. It’s not illegal for a woman to design a mosque in Turkey, but it’s a cultural taboo, Fadillioglu is the first woman to challenge this idea.

Fadillioglu isn’t an architect; she studied computer science and history of art and design in London. In 1995 she opened her own design agency, ZFDesign. Fadillioglu really doesn’t seem like the person who would be commissioned to design a mosque. Her background mainly consists of interiors for exclusive hotels and wealthy clients. She’s also designed a few nightclubs and recently launched a furniture collection. But her successful non-secular background was the very reason she was chosen to break the male-designed mosque convention.
Fadillioglu’s work evokes the magic of the Ottoman Empire, wile maintaining a contemporary feel. “A modern take on traditional values,” she said in a recent interview with Design Boom.
With that look in mind she designed the Şakirin Mosque in her hometown of Istanbul, which has become a symbol of modernity and progress. In mosques women and men pray in separate rooms. Often the women’s side is not as nice of a place to pray in as the men’s. Fadillioglu made sure that in the Şakirin Mosque the women’s side would be just as enjoyable, and it is—a beautiful open balcony opens up to the side of the women’s prayer room.
Fadillioglu has also built two mosques in Qatar. CNN recently called her “The mosque designer breaking the mold.”
Top image: ZFDesign