Abstract:

The subject of the study is Güneyce Mahallesi Orta Mosque and Elmaalan Mahallesi Merkez Mosque, which are located in the Arsin district of Trabzon and were built in the 1960s. With the conquest of Trabzon in 1461 by Fatih Sultan Mehmet, immediate action was taken for the Turkification-Islamization of the region. In parallel with the Turkization-Islamization process, architectural structuring has also developed. Mosques, which are among the important representatives of our cultural values, have been the most popular structures of this architectural construction. The mosques, which are shaped by climate, geography, social structure and economic factors, are generally similar, and in particular, they have some differences varying from district to district. The mosques, which were built with traditional materials and techniques for centuries, were demolished, especially since the 1960s, on the grounds that they could not meet the needs, and reinforced concrete and domed structures were built in their place. The fact that the reinforced concrete construction technique allows rapid production with low cost and less labor and workmanship has caused the disappearance of local craftsmen who know traditional materials and know the joining technique. With the understanding of the importance of historical mosques in recent times, many of the existing structures have been registered and protected by the relevant institution. These structures have been tried to be introduced with studies prepared at various times. These studies are very important in terms of revealing the general characteristics of Trabzon mosque architecture. However, while the structures built in the 18th and 19th centuries came to the fore in these studies, the structures of the 20th century were ignored. Based on this information, we prepared this study in order to introduce Güneyce Mahallesi Orta Mosque and Elmaalan Mahallesi Merkez Mosque, which we think are among the last representatives of traditional Trabzon mosque architecture in terms of their characteristics, built in the 1960s, and to determine their place among other mosques in the region. In line with the purpose of the study, information was given about the general features of the traditional mosque architecture of Trabzon, and then the mosques were discussed in detail under the heading of plan and architectural features, materials-techniques, ornaments and repairs by catalog method. While the mosques, which were built by the people of the neighborhood with their own means, are similar in terms of plan, material, technique and outer coverings, their sanctuary covers and ornamental features are different. The mosques, which were built with stone materials in the masonry technique, have a simple rectangular plan extending in the north-south direction and have a four-shoulder hipped roof. The harim of Güneyce Mahallesi Orta Mosque is covered with a flat wooden ceiling, and the harim of Elmaalan Mahallesi Merkez Mosque is covered with a lath-and plaster dome. Although the mosques seem quite plain from the outside, the wooden architectural elements of Güneyce Mahallesi Orta Mosque reflect the general characteristics of the style called the Eastern Black Sea wooden style, which emerged by synthesizing classical Ottoman, baroque, rococo and Caucasian origin motifs. The mihrab of Elmaalan Central Mosque exhibits a Baroque-Rococo style character. When mosques are compared with the structures in Trabzon and different cities in terms of their features, it has been determined that they are similar in many respects. The aforementioned determinations have also proved that these mosques, which were built during the periods when reinforced concrete and domed structures began to enter our architectural life, are among the last representatives of traditional Trabzon mosque architecture.

Keywords: