THE USE OF OTTOMAN ARCHITECTURE AND ISLAMIC HERITAGE AS A CONSUMPTION OBJECT IN CONTEMPORARY PRACTICES

Abstract

Islamic heritage contains rich cultural diversity with residential and public buildings which belong to the era of the Ottoman Empire and reflect the character of the Islamic tradition. Today, the influence of Islamic heritage begins to be represented by the predominance of consumerist culture and technology. In particular, Ottoman architecture and its traditional elements became objects of consumption, which set the visual aspect at the forefront of contemporary design practices. The study criticizes the transformation of the authenticity of Ottoman-Islamic architecture into a thematic "authentic appearance". Instead, it refers to the fact that Ottoman-Islamic heritage has become a consumer object. In this context, this study looks at various examples found in Turkey, such as hotels, shopping centers, and residential buildings. Examples are organized through a theoretical and comparative methodology between traditional and contemporary approaches. As a result, the article emphasizes the importance of cultural heritage for societies and their architecture which must not be transformed into objects of consumption linked to interests. The conclusion is that the flexible stance of the Ottoman-Islamic structural heritage is open to adaptation. It allows the tradition to be interpreted in the current structural and technological developments rather than copied.