RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE LANDSCAPE PROPERTIES AND USER SATISFACTION IN THE MOSQUE GARDENS: A CASE STUDY FROM ISTANBUL

Abstract

Gardens are of physical as well as symbolic importance for Muslim people. Gardens being quiet places are conductive to concentration, a prerequisite for genuine prayer. Consequently became one of the most favorable sites for locating mosques. When reading sources about gardens of mosques, little detail is provided about the activities which occurred during these events. This study provides details that focus predominantly on the landscape design description of the visited religious buildings, such as mosques and religious schools. For this purpose, selected samples of mosques gardens in the city of Istanbul, the base elements, the containment elements, reinforcement elements, and open green spaces were explored in terms of landscape design principles in accordance with suitability and determined deficiencies. In this study, the method of scoring was used for the evaluation of mosques gardens. Gardens of mosques classified in terms of its location, closeness to the environment, accessibility, activity areas, microclimatic conditions, water elements, plants materials and vista, whether or not the garden, landscape design, safety situation, comfort and facility. The gardens of mosques are compared to each other according to the scores they have received, and thus the positive and negative aspects of each mosques’ gardens have been revealed in this research