Ordu Kayabaşı Mosque — Double-Şerefe Minaret with Muqarnas

The Kayabaşı Mosque minaret is among the most heavily decorated pieces we have built. The shaft was not left plain: a relief texture runs the full height of the surface and both balconies carry a complete muqarnas ring.

A surface like that cannot be achieved by grinding on site or by moulding over render — it would break down in the first rain. The decoration has to come out of the concrete itself, which ties the job directly to the formwork manufacture.

The motif comes off the formwork

For the relief surfaces a fibreglass (GRP) shell was applied to the inner face of the formwork. Fibreglass reproduces fine detail such as muqarnas and rosettes with a smooth gelcoat face, while the steel frame behind it holds the form against the pressure of fresh concrete. Without that pairing, decoration at this scale does not come out cleanly.

Two balconies, two sets of muqarnas

On a double-şerefe minaret the muqarnas ring is built twice. Below each ring hang the rows of muqarnas, above it sits the pierced balustrade. The şerefe form was designed to deliver all three components in one piece, with the balustrade openings left as negatives inside the form.

• Lower row of muqarnas — the visual element carrying the balcony overhang
• Şerefe floor and pierced balustrade
• Upper ring and the chamfer into the upper shaft

Its relationship with the mosque

The minaret stands at the northern corner of a mosque clad in green and white stone under a lead dome. The colour harmony between the white shaft and the mosque facade was achieved by choosing the minaret’s surface finish with that in mind from the start.