Mosque Designer Zeynep Fadillioglu, is a Female Architect Breaking the Mold

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By Sheena McKenzie for CNN

A small, modern and pioneer work of art: Şakirin Mosque.

TURKEY---When it comes to buildings, they don't come much different than a mosque and a nightclub. In Istanbul, these two structures have more in common than you might think. Zeynep Fadillioglu is the designer behind both, her elegant creations blending sleek modernism with traditional ornamentation. Crafting the inside of a building is hard enough, without also having to meet religious requirements, and Fadillioglu consulted Islamic authorities throughout the construction of the spectacular Sakirin Mosque -- co-created by architect Hüsrev Tayla -- and opened in 2009. It is believed to be the first time a woman has designed a mosque. The 59-year-old has also designed two other mosques, both opened in Doha, Qatar, in 2010. [link]