Bilal Saygılı Mosque, Modern mosque in Erzene, Bornova, Turkey
Bilal Saygılı Mosque is a place of worship in the Erzene district of Bornova, Turkey, built with two minarets and a dome arrangement drawn from Ottoman architecture. The roof features nine main domes and fifteen smaller ones that sit above the interior galleries.
The mosque was designed by architect Necip Dinç and opened in 2019, making it one of the newer religious buildings in Bornova. It was built at a time when the Erzene district was growing, and it reflects how Ottoman forms continue to shape new construction in Turkey.
The mosque draws many worshippers on Fridays and during religious holidays, when the surrounding streets fill with people coming and going. Its familiar Ottoman-inspired outline makes it a reference point in the Erzene neighborhood.
Visitors are welcome inside the mosque, but modest dress is expected, with shoulders and knees covered, and shoes removed at the entrance. Arriving outside of prayer times allows more space to look around without interrupting worship.
Despite being completed in 2019, the mosque incorporates handcraft techniques that are rarely used in modern construction, visible in the detailing of the domes and decorative elements. This mix of new building methods and older craft traditions gives the exterior an unusual texture that sets it apart from other recent mosques in the area.
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