The eighteenth century saw the Ottoman capital Istanbul undergo some of its most significant physical changes. Restored as the seat of government in 1703 after the court had spent fifty years in Edirne, the city became the site of lavish architectural patronage intended to reinscribe the sultans' presence. This campaign culminated in the years 1740-1800 with two distinct but related developments: the revival of the imperial mosque as a building type, and the creation of a new architectural style--the so-called Ottoman Baroque--informed by Western models. Though these shifts have typically been viewed within a well-established decline paradigm branding the material decadent and derivative, this study demonstrates that the eighteenth-century mosques were powerful symbols of sultanic authority designed to reassert and redefine the empire's standing on a changing world stage. / History of Art and Architecture

This dissertation investigates trends in Muslim women’s religious authority within and beyond the US context by examining the Women’s Mosque of America (WMA), a women-only mosque in Los Angeles. Muslim women across the globe occupy various positions of authority across different religious networks, including as educators at Islamic institutions, board members at mosques, khateebahs (preachers), and prayer leaders. Shifts in Muslim women’s religious authority result from uneven processes of privatization and individualization of religion, resulting in the decentralization of established religious authorities. In the global Islamic context, scholars theorize this process as a fragmentation of authority and its expansion to a wider range of lay actors. This privatization of religion in the US context shapes religious congregations as civic institutions through which religious actors acculturate to American norms, including women’s increased participation in public religious life, and engagements in interfaith dialogue. This dissertation, which analyzes the WMA at the convergence of these two contexts, intervenes in scholarly conversations on the fragmentation of religious authority and the racialized nature of American religious institutions. Through my analysis of WMA sermons, participant observation, and ethnographic interviews, I argue that the WMA produces new forms of Islamic authority based on women’s experiences and individual relationships to scripture, rather than traditional religious training. This study brings together the Religious Studies methodologies of textual analysis and ethnography with feminist epistemological frameworks that privilege experiences as a valid basis for knowledge. My analysis of the WMA speaks to ongoing debates on Islam and gender, American Islam, and the role of the mosque as a center for religious community. This study situates Muslim women’s authority at the intersections of gender, religious space, and national belonging. I demonstrate how WMA preachers assert themselves as meaningful religious actors in the US in and beyond Muslim communities. Through their interpretations of scripture, the WMA represents an American branding of Islam that privileges individuality, civic engagement, and social and gender justice. / 2026-07-31T00:00:00Z

The aim of this study was to assess the cultural heritage implications of converting Hagia Sophia in Istanbul, Turkey from a museum into a mosque in July 2020. Through analysing cultural heritage management as a tool that could support the building of nationalism, this thesis explores the links between nationalism and cultural heritage. Discourse Analysis was used to answer the research question, facilitating research on the selected texts and the respective political discourses. To study the conversion of Hagia Sophia into a mosque, information was collected through the Internet, with an emphasis on interviews, articles, and tweets from Turkish government officials during the period from the reconversion of the monument to the present day. Discourse analysis shows that in our case, cultural heritage management was used within the context of emotional politics and the pursuit of political objectives of the ruling party with the side effect of disempowering subgroups of the Turkish society whose sense of history and place is not compatible with the prevailing discourse.

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This project attempted to detennine cultural factors in architecture and include these factors in architectural form and function. This work also aimed to determine the influence of certain contexts on architectural design specific to a certain region with a unique culture. This research focused on new identity, prestige, contexts and demands of contemporary Islamic architecture rather than design of novel, complex and eccentric forms in this new area. The present study conjured a sense of balance in the complexity, confusion and imbalance of new fonns. Some contemporary architects solely emphasize the past Islamic designs and ignore new contexts. On the contrary, others only focus on new contexts and neglect the past. Neither one is true. New designs should be based on the available space and context with regard to past fonns. In other words, the past heritage of architecture can influence the contemporary architecture if the new space and context can be fitted to the past. If not, new context is entirely unique and specific to the new space. Nevertheless, the preliminary principles of Islamic architecture should be preserved. The present project made some efforts to detennine the influence of different cultural and multicultural contexts on Islamic architectural designs (e.g. mosque). It sought to include other cultures in Islamic architecture. However, future studies are needed to clarify this issue.

Yes / Structural walls of old historical structures are either blind or have openings for functional requirements. It is well known that in and out of plane responses of structural walls are affected by the size, locations, and arrangements of such openings. The purpose of this investigation is to study the window opening effects on static and seismic behaviors of historical masonry old mosques. Fatih Mosque, which was converted from a church, constructed in 914 in Trabzon, Turkey, is selected for this purpose. The mosque is being restored. Structural exterior walls of the mosque were made using stone and mortar materials. When the plaster on the walls was removed during the restoration, 12 window openings were found as blind on the exterior structural walls of the mosque. Within the scope of restoration works, it is aimed to open such blind windows. In order to investigate the effects of the window openings on the structural behavior of the mosque, 3D solid and finite elements models of the mosque with and without window openings are initially developed. The experimental dynamic characteristics such as frequency, damping ratio, and mode shapes of the current situation of the mosque, where some windows openings are blind, are determined using Ambient Vibration Testing. Then, the finite element model of the current situation of the mosque is updated using the experimental dynamic characteristics. The static and seismic time history analyses of the updated finite element model with and without window openings are carried out. Structural behaviors of the mosque with and without window openings are compared considering displacement and stress propagations.

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Earth has its natural features; mountains, valleys, ocean, rivers, lakes, trees, plants, flowers etc. It has inhabitants; Man, animals, insects, birds etc. Man being supreme creature, introduced architecture to provide shelter for him initially and with the passage of time he brought it to the elegance where it is today. I would like to carry out his legacy with the intent of Romancing the Earth with Nothing but the Truth written in Poetic lines. My humble approach to create is to carve out the TRUTH into being from not being, to stay honest to the site and be noble in the cause. Through my investigation, my objective is to establish a life style with a serene environment. A place where one is tranquil to think about the higher values of life, A place to lose one's SELF and find HIMSELF, to serve his purpose in the universe which will bring real joy to his mind, enrichment to his soul and contentment to his body. / Master of Architecture

Sacred spaces have long existed due to their importance as a symbol of belief. Structures are designed to be timeless and forever lasting, representing the essence of faith. In this case, a Mosque has been designed for a site in La Jolla, California, keeping the sacred practices of the religion in mind during design composition. This includes the importance of connectivity for every man and woman, to God. The segregated praying areas for men and women are essential aspects of the design; from entering the site, the common area or courtyard at the center, to the separate walkways for each gender, symbolize the importance of gender segregation and yet a common ground for unity and equality at the holy site. A walk through the corridor leads to the washing area for self cleansing and ritual ablution in preparation for entering the sacred space for prayers, the entrance to a space for a spiritual connection with God. / Master of Architecture