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Armenian architect building bridges between religions
14:44 11.05.2013
Kevork Ã-zkaragöz, an Armenian architect who has designed many
religious monuments for different religions, refers to the opinions of
the religious communities when developing his projects.
A member of an Armenian family renowned for their stonemasonry,
Ã-zkaragöz moved from Malatya to Istanbul with his family when he was 6
years old.
The structures built by Ã-zkaragöz in recent years include Mahmut
Å?evket PaÅ?a Hacı BektaÅ? Cemevi (an Alevi house of worship) in
Istanbul's Okmeydanı district, Plevne Mosque in Balıkesir's Gönen
district and the final prayer chapel in his hometown, Malatya, the
Hurriyet Daily News reports.
Last year, the final prayer chapel ` in a historical Armenian cemetery
in Malatya ` was demolished by municipal teams, which stirred a lot of
debate in society. Due to the objections, the chapel was rebuilt on
the grounds that the teams had `misunderstood the order.'
`While designing the Cemevi, I obtained the opinions of elderly
persons in the Alevi community. I obtained data on Alevi culture and
beliefs from studies published on the subject. And when designing the
mosque, I tried to get to know the functions of a mosque by chatting
with imams. I especially observed Istanbul's mosques from the
perspective of a designer. I refreshed my knowledge of mosques by
examining mosques' stages of development in art history books. I also
examined Vedat Dalokay Islamabad Mosque and Behruz Çinici TCMM mosque,
which were built in the Republican period,' he said.
`Existence, oneness and love of God form the basis of religions, while
they center upon human beings. I believe each faith has a different
form of worship and different needs. I can develop my designs by
taking all these [differences] into account with the aid of my
cultural background. I am very pleased when a religious structure
comes into being and people can worship in them,' Ã-zkaragöz said.
http://www.armradio.am/en/2013/05/11/armenian-architect-building-bridges-between-religions/
14:44 11.05.2013
Kevork Ã-zkaragöz, an Armenian architect who has designed many
religious monuments for different religions, refers to the opinions of
the religious communities when developing his projects.
A member of an Armenian family renowned for their stonemasonry,
Ã-zkaragöz moved from Malatya to Istanbul with his family when he was 6
years old.
The structures built by Ã-zkaragöz in recent years include Mahmut
Å?evket PaÅ?a Hacı BektaÅ? Cemevi (an Alevi house of worship) in
Istanbul's Okmeydanı district, Plevne Mosque in Balıkesir's Gönen
district and the final prayer chapel in his hometown, Malatya, the
Hurriyet Daily News reports.
Last year, the final prayer chapel ` in a historical Armenian cemetery
in Malatya ` was demolished by municipal teams, which stirred a lot of
debate in society. Due to the objections, the chapel was rebuilt on
the grounds that the teams had `misunderstood the order.'
`While designing the Cemevi, I obtained the opinions of elderly
persons in the Alevi community. I obtained data on Alevi culture and
beliefs from studies published on the subject. And when designing the
mosque, I tried to get to know the functions of a mosque by chatting
with imams. I especially observed Istanbul's mosques from the
perspective of a designer. I refreshed my knowledge of mosques by
examining mosques' stages of development in art history books. I also
examined Vedat Dalokay Islamabad Mosque and Behruz Çinici TCMM mosque,
which were built in the Republican period,' he said.
`Existence, oneness and love of God form the basis of religions, while
they center upon human beings. I believe each faith has a different
form of worship and different needs. I can develop my designs by
taking all these [differences] into account with the aid of my
cultural background. I am very pleased when a religious structure
comes into being and people can worship in them,' Ã-zkaragöz said.
http://www.armradio.am/en/2013/05/11/armenian-architect-building-bridges-between-religions/