Imposing mosque stamps a new identity in heart of Istanbul
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan (centre, holding microphone) inaugurating the new Taksim Mosque on Taksim Square in Istanbul on Friday. Construction of the mosque began in 2017 in a project championed by Mr Erdogan and his Islamist-rooted AK Party, but beset by court battles and public controversy.
PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
ISTANBUL • President Recep Tayyip Erdogan inaugurated an imposing new mosque in Istanbul on Friday, fulfilling a decades-old goal and stamping a religious identity on the landmark Taksim Square in the heart of Turkey's largest city.
Taksim Mosque and its 30m-high dome loom symbolically over a monument to the foundation of the Turkish republic by founding father Mustafa Kemal Ataturk, whose staunchly secular legacy has been eroded by nearly two decades of Mr Erdogan's rule.
After performing Friday prayers with thousands of worshippers, Mr Erdogan said the completion of the mosque marked the culmination of a dream for Turks, and that the call to prayer would be heard there "until the end of time".
Construction of the mosque began in February 2017 in a project championed by Mr Erdogan, a devout Muslim, and his Islamist-rooted AK Party. But the plans for the project had been beset for decades by court battles and public debate.
Supporters of the project argued that there were not enough Muslim places of worship close to one of the city's busiest hubs. Opponents saw it as a bid to impose a religious tone on the square, featuring a cultural centre dedicated to Ataturk that has been demolished and is being rebuilt.
REUTERS