Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday inaugurated a landmark mosque in Istanbul's Taksim Square, fulfilling a long-time ambition to build a Muslim house of worship at the city's main public space.
Erdoğan joined a group of worshippers for the first prayers at the towering 3,000-capacity mosque on Taksim.
"Our mosque has already taken its distinguished place among the symbols of Istanbul," Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said in a statement while speaking at the inauguration ceremony of Taksim Mosque following Friday prayers.
Erdoğan said the mosque would be one of the most important centers of culture and art in the city.
The Turkish leader reiterated several times in his speeches: "It is inconceivable for Istanbul's main square not to have a Muslim house of worship."
In 1997, The coup-plotters had pressured the Refah-DYP government — which Erdoğan belonged to — out of power for allegedly undermining secular laws, citing its declared plans to construct a mosque on Taksim as one of the reasons.
"For years, since my childhood, they have said 'you cannot do it,'" Erdoğan told ruling party regional leaders in a speech Thursday. "But God has destined us (to build) this."
Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo, the vice president of the Sudanese Transitional Sovereignty Council, along with several Turkish officials including Parliament Speaker Mustafa Şentop, Vice President Fuat Oktay, National Defense Minister Hulusi Akar and Communications Director Fahrettin Altun were also present at the ceremony.
The foundations of the mosque, which bears the signatures of architects Şefik Birkiye and Selim Dalaman, were laid on Feb. 17, 2017 in Taksim Square.
It can host a congregation of up to 4,000 people and boasts a parking area, as well as conference and exhibition halls.
Spread over 2,482 square meters (26,716 square feet), its constructed area is around 16,000 square meters.
It also features the works of calligraphist Davut Bektaş and miniaturist Adem Turan, with inscriptions from the Quran. The mosque's prayer area has wooden wall panels.
Buff-colored carpets specially woven in the western province of Manisa cover Taksim Mosque's floor below six plates emblazoned with calligraphy of the names of Allah, the Prophet Muhammad, and the four caliphs -- Abu Bakr, Umar, Usman, and Ali.
An 8.5 meter-high (nearly 28 ft.) mihrab (prayer niche showing the direction of Makkah) is built into one of its walls, while a luminous chandelier of 60 lights and 12 meters in diameter (over 39 ft.) hangs from the mosque's ceiling.
