Mahmut Sami Ramazanoğlu AİHL Tatbikat Cami

Built within the grounds of a religious vocational high school in the Selcuklu district of Konya, the Mahmut Sami Ramazanoglu Anatolian Imam Hatip Lisesi Practice Mosque provides pupils with a real working mosque in which to rehearse the art of leading prayer, delivering sermons and reciting the Qur'an. The school carries the name of the revered twentieth century scholar Mahmut Sami Ramazanoglu, may God have mercy on him, a jurist and devotional writer whose teachings on ethics and the remembrance of God shaped generations of Turkish students. Konya, whose ancient name Iconium echoes from the letters of Paul the Apostle, reached its golden age under the Seljuks when it became capital of the Sultanate of Rum and home to Jalaluddin Rumi, may God sanctify his memory, whose Mevlana shrine still draws visitors from around the world. The Selcuklu quarter bears the Seljuk name proudly and hosts many modern educational institutions. This mosque draws on classical Ottoman forms translated into contemporary concrete and stone, presenting a single central dome resting on an octagonal drum, pointed arch windows filled with stained glass and a minaret whose balcony is reached by a spiral of one hundred and one steps. Interior walls are faced in pale Isparta marble, carpets are woven in Konya's traditional Ladik pattern, and the mihrab niche is decorated with tulip tiles inspired by Iznik ceramics. A sound system allows the pupils on rotation to practice amplification without disturbing neighbouring classrooms, and the imam hatip teachers gently guide novices in the makam system of Turkish Qur'anic chant. Friday prayers are open to the public, drawing neighbours from surrounding apartment blocks, and during Ramadan the tarawih is divided among senior students under faculty supervision. Visitors staying in hotels near the Mevlana museum can attend, provided they dress modestly and understand that the school bell may occasionally punctuate the tranquillity. The mosque ultimately trains those who will one day stand before Turkey's congregations, carrying forward the trust of leading others in worship that the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him and his family, described as a heavy responsibility.