When I met designer Zeynep Fadillioglu, she was giving instructions to her team of architects on the installation of a cutting-edge water feature.
The design draws heavily on Turkey’s Islamic traditions
The metal sphere created by British designer William Pye will dominate the entrance of the Sakirin Mosque.
The fountain, along with a modern glass chandelier from China made from thousands of individually crafted shards of glass, are central pieces in what is being seen as one of most radical mosque designs in Turkey in generations.
“Designing everything we tried to be contemporary, but not, let’s say, too futuristic or avant garde,” Ms Fadillioglu says.
“We don’t want the public to reject the place. We want the public to feel part of the place, rather than watching it as an incredible art object. I think it should be their own place.”
The internationally renowned interior designer sees herself as a product of Turkey’s secular republic, which was established in 1923, and gave equal rights to men and women.
BBC NEWS | Europe | Istanbul skyline gets woman’s touch
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