Kütahya Çinili Cami

Çinili Mosque, a mosque in Kütahya commissioned by painter Ahmet Yakupoğlu. The mosque was opened for worship in 1975, gaining identity with Kütahya tiles used on its exterior and interior façades and becoming one of the city's symbols.

It has an octagonal plan and dome form. It has a usable area of 80 square metres and was built with reference to Central Asian Turkish architecture. Hand‑made tiles are used in its mihrab while its minbar is made of wood. It reached its final form in 1980. The design and construction were carried out personally by Ahmet Yakupoğlu. He also designed all exterior façade motifs, including the mosque dome. The mosque’s dedication includes references to the Mevlid of Süleyman Çelebi and the verses were engraved by calligrapher Hüseyin Kutlu.

It was registered in 2015 by the Monuments Board as an immovable cultural heritage that must be protected.

Status

According to a report prepared by Middle East Technical University, cracks and settlements were detected in the structure between 2000 and 2010, and it was closed for worship in 2018. In the following years the mosque was donated to Kütahya Dumlupınar University, and reports for strengthening and reconstruction were prepared; these works accelerated with the mosque’s transfer by the university to the Kütahya Provincial Special Administration. In Kütahya Dumlupınar University’s May 2023 report it was stated that the building is beyond salvage, that only about 30 % of the tiles could be preserved in the proposed strengthening works, and reconstruction of the mosque was recommended. Because the strengthening proposals were not a long‑term solution, a decision for demolition and rebuilding was taken after June 2023.

In October 2024 the tiles began to be removed, with the total work expected to be completed in 210 days at a cost of 13 million TL.