Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News, 2013-11-08

There are many breathtaking massajid in the world that has captured the hearts and imagination of many people.

Masaajid have been built in the sea, on hilltops and even in the desert.

Now the first underground masjid has been constructed in Turkey’s Buyukcekmece district in Istanbul.

The masjid known as Sancaklar masjid has also won the first place in the World Architecture Fest competition for religious places.

Mufti of Buyukcekmece, Mehmet Narin told World Bulletin that masaajid are places to contemplate and pray. “They are branches of the Kab’a,” he added.

Merging the essence of Islamic and ottoman designs with modernity, Sancaklar masjid was inspired by Cave of Hira, where Prophet Muhammad (Peace upon him) first received revelation from Jibreel (AS)

Sancaklar masjid constructed by the Turkish architect Emre Arolatis seven meters beneath the surface occupying a space of 1200 square meters and enlightened by lead lanes and sunshine to cast a spiritual environment.

Departing from standard masaajid designs, the Sancaklar masjid features a cavernous underground worship hall imbued with a special spiritual reverence.

The architects note in their brief that their design “aims to address the fundamental issues of designing a masjid by distancing itself from the current architectural discussions based on form and focusing solely on the essence of religious space.”

Sancaklar Masjid will offer a place for more than 650 worshippers, and aims to void the shortage of masaajid in the district.

"Due to the lack of mosques here in the Karaagac neighborhood, this one is needed," Mufti, Narin, added.

“This district is filled with villas but there was no mosque.”

Being the world’s first underground masjid, the Sancaklar Masjid was designed without a minaret or a crescent.

Approximately 99 percent of Turkey's population is Muslim, the majority of whom are Sunni.

Turkey has thousands of masaajid the most famous of which is the Blue Masjid, which is marked with its blue tile work ornamenting its interior walls.

 (Twitter: @Faizie143 )