december 10 Qatar Today 93

culture capital

f or years, the role of women in the Islamic world has been a subject prone to con-troversy and sparked many debates. So it came as a shock to Zeynep Fadillioglu, when her interior design company was commissioned by the Sakir family to re-design the Sakirin Mosque in Turkey, in memory of their late mother and father. “When I was given this wonderful opportunity, I had many sleepless nights as I

wanted to achieve the best possible outcome on a project that means so much to so many people,” she shares.

“At a time when so much is being discussed wrongly of Islam not allowing women to have equal rights, the fact that a woman can build a mosque disproves this,” she says.

of MinareTs, doMes and sTereoTypes

Orna Ballout talks to Zeynep Fadillioglu, the first female designer of

Mosques

94 Qatar Today december 10

culture capital

“At a time when so much is being discussed wrongly of Islam not allowing women to have equal rights, the fact that a woman can build a mosque disproves this”

It wasn’t a usual college route that led Fadillioglu into the design industry; first, she studied Computer Science at Sussex University, England, and then went on to study programme and system analysis before completing her education in Art History and Design at Inchbald School of Design in London.

However, after a number of years working as a systems analyst, it was her husband’s restaurant and nightclub busi-ness which eventually enticed her into the realm of interior design. And in 1995 she founded her now prestigious company, Zeynep Fadillioglu Design.

Designs at the Cultural Village Fadillioglu and her team, mostly made up of women, have been busy. They are diligently preparing for the next signifi-cant offerings which will spark interest with their unique designs. “We will soon be unveiling our projects in Doha, two Mosques and a restaurant in the Cultural Village that will hopefully attract the at-tention of the world.”

Since its beginnings, the company has taken pride in striving for excellence and delivering each project with the utmost proficiency to achieve the best results. The dedicated team of 18 professionals consisting of architects, interior design-ers, artists and graphic designers, all of whom are experts in their designated field, has accomplished the building and design of 140 projects in countries across the world including Qatar, Turkey, India and London.

On various occasions the company has triumphed sought after awards including the 'Andrew Martin International Inte-rior Designer of The Year Award 2002' in London, and the 'Modern designer of The Year Award 2005' given by the De-sign and Decoration Awards in London.

A turning pointWhilst all of these projects and achieve-ments have a special meaning to her, the re-design of The Sakirin Mosque in Is-tanbul is of great significance and holds a special place in her heart. Not only is it a masterpiece of exquisite design; it’s a symbolic reference point in her career that thrust her name into the spotlight as

the first ever woman in Islam to design a Mosque.

“In the Sakirin Mosque, I wanted to ex-press myself in a new way as our prophet has said that everyday should be a new day for us. My inspiration for the design is based on Muslim, Ottoman and Seljuk roots. I wanted to leave traces of our times, not a copy of the past, otherwise the new generation would be unaware of us living in this century,” she says.

The 130 ft diameter dome-shaped Mosque boasts a marvellous contempo-rary look mixed with Islamic and Otto-man details. “I worked with both tradi-tional and modern artists, this dual effect brought another dimension of linking understanding with believer’s roots,” she reveals about the inspiration behind the fusion.

The facade of the structure consists of wrought-iron grills and glass. On entry to the Mosque, a turquoise mihrab catch-es the eye, its colouring resembling tiles from the Seljuk times.

A grand chandelier consisting of three interwoven rings dominates the ceiling, carrying inscriptions with 99 names of God and the Nur Sura from the Quran; adorning this chandelier are carefully crafted spectacular drops of glass, de-signed by Nahide Buyukkaymakci, which are inspired by a prayer that says Allah’s light should fall on you like rain.

In the courtyard, a water fountain in the shape of a metal sphere commands the peaceful surrounding, with the met-al cleverly reflecting the sky and the Mosque to symbolise the universe.

“It is a sincere privilege that my team has successfully accomplished a Mosque of such fine artistic craftsmanship, a place where people can find peace whilst connecting with God.”

Besides creating mesmerising mosques and works of art; busy Fadillioglu man-ages to juggle between professions of designer, lecturer and grandmother in her busy schedule. She teaches Design Management and a Culture programme in Bilgi University, Turkey, and has just welcomed the newest addition to her close-knit family with the birth of her daughter’s son n