"From Adobe to Marble": Rare Works of Islamic Architecture Are Exhibited at İZÜ

The Photo exhibition titled "From Adobe to Marble: The Journey of Islamic Architecture” has opened to visitors in the courtyard of the IZU Mosque. The exhibition features photographs of 30 different works from across the Islamic world.

Thirty photographs representing different regions and periods of the Islamic world are being exhibited at IZU. Organized by the Corporate Communications and Promotion Department, the exhibition includes unique architectural examples ranging from mosques to bridges, and from madrasas to mausoleums. While the Minarets of Ghazni, built in the twelfth century in the city of Ghazni in Afghanistan with red brick and adobe, reflect the elegant stone craftsmanship of their period, the 201 Dome Mosque, opened for worship in 2019 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, draws attention with its wide stone courtyard, domes, stone ornaments, and pointed arched gates. Among the works presented are the Alhambra Palace, the symbol of Andalusia reflecting the aesthetics of the Nasrid period; Al-Aqsa Mosque, considered sacred by three monotheistic religions; Hagia Sophia, built during the Byzantine period and converted into a mosque during the Ottoman era, known as one of the iconic structures in architectural history with its great dome; the Süleymaniye and Selimiye Mosques designed by Mimar Sinan, representing the peak of classical Ottoman architecture; the Taj Mahal reflecting the elegance of Islamic and Indian architecture; the Great Mosque of Samarra in Iraq, known for its spiral minaret and built during the Abbasid period; the Shah Mosque in Isfahan, Iran, a seventeenth-century structure famous for its blue tile decorations; the Mausoleum of Khoja Ahmed Yasawi in Kazakhstan; the Great Mosque of Djenné in Mali, built from adobe in the thirteenth century; the Kalyan Minaret in Bukhara, Uzbekistan, carrying the characteristic features of the Seljuk and Timurid periods; and the Kaaba, the qibla of Muslims. These works reveal the cultural diversity and rich historical heritage of the Islamic world.

Many visitors attended the exhibition on its opening day, including IZU Rector Prof. Dr. Ahmet Cevat Acar, Vice Rectors Prof. Dr. İsmail Küçük, Prof. Dr. Erhan İçener, Prof. Dr. Nihat Erdoğmuş, IZU Secretary General Dr. Fatih Hasdemir, and faculty deans. The exhibition “From Adobe to Marble: The Journey of Islamic Architecture” will be open to visitors at the Central Classrooms Building Square until the end of the month of Ramadan.