The digital mosque - A new paradigm in mosque design

This article introduces the idea of the "convergent mosque," an online mosque paradigm converging virtual and physical spaces. First, it reviews the formal and typological elements of religious architecture as accumulated over the course of centuries, highlighting the evolutionary nature of mosque design and focusing specifically on the Ottoman/Turkish case. Building upon this historical background, the latter part of the article elaborates a new mosque paradigm suitable for the digital age. The main argument of the study is that a concept as time-honored as the architecture of the mosque may paradoxically be best maintained by a change in design, allowing it, too, to evolve in accordance with advancing technologies.