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Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
May 11 2013
An architect building bridges between religions
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
BY Vercihan ZiflioÄ?lu
Kevork Ã-zkaragöz is known for his monument designs that have taken on
different religions over the course of time. Architect says it pleases
him to share his designs with the worshipping crowds
Armenian architect Kevork Ã-zkaragöz desgined many monuments, including
mosques and churches, for various religions, forming bridges between
faiths.
Kevork Ã-zkaragöz, an Armenian architect who has designed many
religious monuments for different religions and sects, 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.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News about his projects, Ã-zkaragöz said
those likening him the chief Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan were
exaggerating his skills.
`During the Ottoman period, there was not a tradition of highlighting
a certain ethnicity or religion. Such a situation was never seen in
architecture and other art forms,' Ã-zkaragöz said.
`Also, the Balyan family [an Armenian dynasty of famous architects
during Ottoman period] did not come to the forefront with their
identity. As architects, we never attach a special importance to
religious structures in our projects. Each architectural project bears
importance since they are the structures presented to a city's
community. However, religious structures sometimes require more
concentration and effort due to some features peculiar to them,' he
said.
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.
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.
Çamlıca Mosque project
Ã-zkaragöz also criticized the recent plans to build new mosques in
distinct parts of Istanbul such as Çamlıca Hill and Taksim Square.
`It is not possible to regard Taksim as a modern square area, since
the functional diversities among a series of buildings make it hard to
see it as a square,' he said.
`Reorganizing `Topçu KıÅ?lası' [Artillery Barracks] will make the
already complicated issue even more confusing. The distinct square
areas in the world's significant cities are noted with the
homogeneously distributed buildings surrounding them. If Taksim is
organized in such a way, of course a place of worship can be designed
there, as we see some examples of it in some major cities of the
world. A mosque built on a hill has no place in the traditions of the
Bosphorus. All the mosques were built considering the coasts and scale
of the Bosphorus. The historical peninsula is the most significant
silhouette representing Istanbul. The mosque planned to be built on
Çamlıca Hill must not compete to get a role in the historical
peninsula. Also, a mosque designed in such an area would create some
difficulties in the region due to its size and capacity,' Ã-zkaragöz
said.
May/11/2013
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/an-architect-building-bridges-between-religions.aspx?pageID=238&nID=46642&NewsCatID=393
May 11 2013
An architect building bridges between religions
ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News
BY Vercihan ZiflioÄ?lu
Kevork Ã-zkaragöz is known for his monument designs that have taken on
different religions over the course of time. Architect says it pleases
him to share his designs with the worshipping crowds
Armenian architect Kevork Ã-zkaragöz desgined many monuments, including
mosques and churches, for various religions, forming bridges between
faiths.
Kevork Ã-zkaragöz, an Armenian architect who has designed many
religious monuments for different religions and sects, 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.
Speaking to the Hürriyet Daily News about his projects, Ã-zkaragöz said
those likening him the chief Ottoman architect Mimar Sinan were
exaggerating his skills.
`During the Ottoman period, there was not a tradition of highlighting
a certain ethnicity or religion. Such a situation was never seen in
architecture and other art forms,' Ã-zkaragöz said.
`Also, the Balyan family [an Armenian dynasty of famous architects
during Ottoman period] did not come to the forefront with their
identity. As architects, we never attach a special importance to
religious structures in our projects. Each architectural project bears
importance since they are the structures presented to a city's
community. However, religious structures sometimes require more
concentration and effort due to some features peculiar to them,' he
said.
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.
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.
Çamlıca Mosque project
Ã-zkaragöz also criticized the recent plans to build new mosques in
distinct parts of Istanbul such as Çamlıca Hill and Taksim Square.
`It is not possible to regard Taksim as a modern square area, since
the functional diversities among a series of buildings make it hard to
see it as a square,' he said.
`Reorganizing `Topçu KıÅ?lası' [Artillery Barracks] will make the
already complicated issue even more confusing. The distinct square
areas in the world's significant cities are noted with the
homogeneously distributed buildings surrounding them. If Taksim is
organized in such a way, of course a place of worship can be designed
there, as we see some examples of it in some major cities of the
world. A mosque built on a hill has no place in the traditions of the
Bosphorus. All the mosques were built considering the coasts and scale
of the Bosphorus. The historical peninsula is the most significant
silhouette representing Istanbul. The mosque planned to be built on
Çamlıca Hill must not compete to get a role in the historical
peninsula. Also, a mosque designed in such an area would create some
difficulties in the region due to its size and capacity,' Ã-zkaragöz
said.
May/11/2013
http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/an-architect-building-bridges-between-religions.aspx?pageID=238&nID=46642&NewsCatID=393