Walking along the oak-shaded avenue of Columbiadamm between the deep green canopy of Volkspark Hasenheide on one side and the vast open sky of the historic Tempelhof airfield on the other in Berlin's Neukölln district, you will spot two slender white stone spires rising like sharpened pencils above the treetops. Step through the nineteenth-century brick gateway crowned by a Moorish turret, and before you unfolds a sanctuary of cream-white limestone and cascading lead-sheathed domes that immediately recalls the imperial mosques along the Bosphorus in Istanbul.
This is the Şehitlik Mosque, Berlin (Şehitlik-Moschee, in Turkish Berlin Türk Şehitlik Camii), the flagship Islamic sanctuary of Berlin's Turkish-German community. Unlike contemporary mosques built on former industrial lots, the Şehitlik Mosque stands directly on the consecrated ground of the Turkish Cemetery Berlin (Türkischer Friedhof Berlin), a site that preserves more than two centuries of diplomatic history between the Kingdom of Prussia and the Ottoman Empire from the late eighteenth century to the present day.
IMeaning of the name Şehitlik and the 1798 diplomatic cemetery
In Turkish, the word Şehitlik derives from the Arabic noun Shahid (witness to the faith or martyr) combined with the Turkish locative suffix, meaning literally a Martyrs' Cemetery or Memorial Burial Ground. The mosque takes its name directly from the historic diplomatic cemetery enclosing it, reflecting the traditional Ottoman principle that envoys, scholars, students, and soldiers who pass away in foreign lands while fulfilling their duty are honored with the dignity of those who died in service.
The Şehitlik Mosque belongs to the Sunni Islamic tradition (specifically the Hanafi school of jurisprudence predominant in Turkey) and operates under the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (Diyanet İşleri Türk İslam Birliği, abbreviated as DITIB). Religious life at the mosque centers on the Five Pillars of Islam: the declaration of faith in the oneness of God (Shahada), the five daily prayers facing Mecca (Salat), charitable almsgiving (Zakat), fasting during the month of Ramadan (Sawm), and pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj).
Because of its location beside Berlin's oldest Muslim burial ground, the Şehitlik Mosque also fulfills a central spiritual role for families across the German capital: conducting Islamic funeral prayers (Salat al-Janazah) at the stone bier in the courtyard before the deceased are laid to rest in Berlin's Muslim cemetery sections or accompanied home for burial.
The history of this ground began on 29 October 1798, when the Ottoman Empire's first permanent resident ambassador to the Prussian court in Berlin, the Cretan-born scholar and statesman Giritli Ali Aziz Efendi, died in office. Out of diplomatic respect and to allow burial in accordance with Islamic law on unencumbered soil, King Frederick William III of Prussia gifted a plot of crown land near the Tempelhof parade ground (close to present-day Blücherstraße) for the ambassador's interment. That plot became the first state-recognized Muslim burial site in Prussia and Germany.
In 1804, his successor Mehmed Esad Efendi also died in Berlin and was buried beside him, and in 1837 Ottoman Sultan Mahmud II and the Prussian King erected memorial stone columns over the graves. By 1866, when the expansion of the Tempelhof military parade ground required relocating the original plot, King William I of Prussia (later the first German Emperor) granted a larger site along Columbiadamm at the edge of the Hasenheide woods. The remains of the Ottoman envoys and the 1798 memorial obelisk were ceremonially transferred to the new grounds, and the Prussian Orientalist architect Carl von Diebitsch (1819 to 1869) was commissioned to design a picturesque Moorish minaret gateway for the cemetery.
Seeing the classical stonework alongside eighteenth- and nineteenth-century Ottoman tombstones inscribed in Arabic script, many visitors assume that the domed Şehitlik Mosque itself dates from the nineteenth-century Ottoman era. In fact, the protected nineteenth-century monument comprises the diplomatic cemetery, the memorial obelisk, and the 1866 Moorish gatehouse. The four-story classical Ottoman mosque with its cascading domes and twin minarets is a modern sanctuary begun in 1999 and completed in 2005 to replace a small single-story prayer pavilion built in 1983.
IIFrom the 1798 envoy's grave to the 2005 classical mosque
Throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, the Turkish Cemetery on Columbiadamm served as the final resting place for Ottoman diplomats, students, and Muslim residents in Berlin. In 1921 the Moorish entrance gate was restored and a granite memorial monument was erected inside the grounds. Following the Second World War, the 1961 labor recruitment agreement between the Federal Republic of Germany and Turkey brought tens of thousands of Turkish workers and their families to Berlin, with the largest communities settling in the neighboring boroughs of Neukölln and Kreuzberg right beside the historic cemetery.
To serve the growing congregation, a modest one-story prayer hall was built on an unused corner of the cemetery grounds in 1983. Yet during Friday prayers and major festival days, hundreds of worshippers had to spread their prayer rugs outdoors in the rain and snow. In the late 1990s, the Turkish-Islamic Union DITIB resolved to erect a representative grand mosque and cultural center on the site, entrusting the architectural design to the renowned Turkish architect Muharrem Hilmi Şenalp.
- 1798Prussian King grants burial plot for Ottoman Ambassador Ali Aziz EfendiOn 29 October 1798, Ottoman Ambassador Giritli Ali Aziz Efendi dies in Berlin, King Frederick William III of Prussia grants land at Tempelhof for Germany's first Islamic burial site.
- 1866Establishment of the Diplomatic Cemetery on ColumbiadammKing William I of Prussia allocates the present site at Columbiadamm 128, transferring the remains of the Ottoman envoys and erecting the Moorish portal designed by architect Carl von Diebitsch.
- 1921Restoration of the Moorish gateway and memorial stoneThe historic entrance gatehouse is restored and a granite commemorative monument is unveiled in the cemetery grounds.
- 1983Construction of the first prayer pavilionBerlin's Turkish Muslim community erects a small single-story prayer hall beside the cemetery to serve worshippers in Neukölln and Kreuzberg.
- 1999Foundation stone laid for the new Şehitlik MosqueThe Turkish-Islamic Union DITIB begins construction of the four-story classical Ottoman mosque designed by architect Hilmi Şenalp.
- 2005Completion and opening of the grand mosqueThe main sanctuary with its central dome over 21 meters high, twin 37.1-meter minarets, and traditional ceramic and calligraphic interior is completed, accommodating 1,500 worshippers.
- 2006 to 2015Addition of the Cultural and Encounter CenterGround is broken in late 2006 for the third construction phase, culminating on 27 February 2015 in the opening of the Cultural and Encounter House with an exhibition on Muslim history in Brandenburg-Prussia.
In reviewing architectural and historical records on the Şehitlik Mosque and its cemetery, two minor divergences across published sources merit explicit mention. The first concerns the exact height of the main dome: Berlin tourism portals and general architectural descriptions commonly cite the central dome height as 21.5 meters, whereas technical tables on German Wikipedia record 21.3 meters (flanked by twin minarets rising 37.1 meters).
The second point concerns the founding year attributed to the Turkish Cemetery Berlin: Turkish diplomatic histories and community publications trace the cemetery's age to 1798 (the year King Frederick William III granted the burial plot for Ambassador Ali Aziz Efendi, whose original memorial obelisk stands on the grounds today), while the Berlin State Monument Authority (Landesdenkmalamt Berlin) lists the monument at Columbiadamm 128 under the year 1866 (when the cemetery was relocated and laid out on its present site). Both dates accurately reflect the two stages of the same historical institution.
IIIClassical Ottoman architecture and İznik ceramics in Berlin
Architect Muharrem Hilmi Şenalp (who also designed the acclaimed Tokyo Camii in Japan in 2000) modeled the Şehitlik Mosque on the golden age of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Classical Ottoman architecture shaped by the imperial chief architect Mimar Sinan (1489 to 1588). While the structural core utilizes modern reinforced concrete engineered by Hüseyin Portakal, the entire exterior cladding of cream-white carved limestone, the lead-covered dome roofing, and every element of the interior decoration were handcrafted by master artisans in Turkey and shipped to Berlin for assembly.
The mosque building comprises four levels (a multipurpose basement hall, a ground-floor assembly and auxiliary prayer space, the 365-square-meter main prayer hall on the first upper floor, and an upper mezzanine gallery for women), giving the mosque structure a floor area of roughly 1,360 square meters and a capacity of 1,500 worshippers. Overhead, the hemispherical main dome is buttressed by half-domes and corner cupolas, distributing structural thrust outward so that the central prayer space opens up unobstructed beneath a canopy of light.
The central dome rising over 21 meters and its surrounding half-domes are clad in traditional grey lead sheets. Framing the facade stand two slender white limestone minarets reaching 37.1 meters high, each featuring two carved stone balconies (Şerefe) with stalactite corbels and conical pencil spires.
The interior walls are wainscoted with thousands of hand-glazed ceramic tiles produced in the historic Turkish pottery centers of İznik and Kütahya, glowing in turquoise, cobalt blue, and coral red with classical motifs of tulips, carnations, hyacinths, and Rumi arabesques.
Across the crown of the main dome, pendentives, and friezes shine gold-leaf Arabic calligraphic inscriptions of Quranic verses and the names of God, the Prophet Muhammad, and the Four Rightly Guided Caliphs by master calligrapher Hüseyin Kutlu, paired with traditional hand-painted floral ornamentation (Kalemişi) directed by master Semih İrteş.
The Mihrab prayer niche and the tall Minbar pulpit are carved from white Marmara marble with gilded honeycomb stalactite vaulting (Muqarnas) and pierced geometric balustrades. Daylight filters through double-glazed Ottoman stained-glass windows set in plaster tracery (Revzen).
Adjacent to the mosque lies the tranquil burial ground containing the memorial obelisk of Ambassador Ali Aziz Efendi (1798), nineteenth-century Ottoman headstones topped with carved stone fezzes and turbans, and the polychrome brick Moorish minaret portal designed by Carl von Diebitsch in 1866.
| Feature | Specification | Reference source |
|---|---|---|
| Central dome height | 21.3 m to 21.5 m | German Wikipedia lists 21.3 m, architectural guides cite 21.5 m |
| Height of the twin minarets | 37.1 m (with two Şerefe balconies each) | Şehitlik Mosque architectural records and German Wikipedia |
| Floor area and capacity | 1,360 m² mosque floor area, 365 m² main hall, 1,500 worshippers | Şehitlik Mosque building documentation |
| Architect and master artisans | Architect Hilmi Şenalp, calligrapher Hüseyin Kutlu, decorator Semih İrteş | Hassa Architecture (Istanbul) project records |
| Total Cultural Center area | Approx. 2,805 m² across three phases (completed 2015) | City of Berlin portal and DITIB records |
IVThe lie of the land and the facing
The library begins this section with an explicit clarification: Islam does not teach East Asian feng shui. The alignment of both the Şehitlik Mosque and the historic graves in the adjoining cemetery is governed strictly by Islamic sacred law, which directs the Mihrab prayer niche and worshippers toward the Qibla (the Kaaba in Mecca, lying to the southeast of Berlin). Inside the upper prayer hall, every row of carpet and the marble Mihrab face straight toward the southeast. The reading below is a comparative analysis through traditional Vietnamese geomancy offered by the library for readers interested in East Asian site interpretation.
In terms of macro-topography and urban qi, the Şehitlik Mosque stands at coordinates 52.48139 degrees north and 13.40972 degrees east along the northern rim of the glacial Teltow Plateau where the districts of Neukölln and Kreuzberg meet. What makes the site at Columbiadamm 128 extraordinary in Berlin's urban geography is the dramatic contrast between its northern and southern flanks: immediately south and southwest of the mosque stretches the vast, unobstructed horizon of Tempelhof Field (Tempelhofer Feld, the former royal Prussian parade ground and historic airfield, now a 300-hectare open meadow free of buildings), while directly north across Columbiadamm rises the dense woodland of Hasenheide Park (Volkspark Hasenheide, covering over 50 hectares and rising to the 68-meter hill of Rixdorfer Höhe).
Read through traditional geomancy, the pairing of the wooded Hasenheide ridge to the north and the boundless meadow of Tempelhof Field to the south creates a classic configuration of backed by wooded hills and facing an open plain (hậu sơn tiền chưởng) rarely seen inside a European metropolis. The 300-hectare expanse of Tempelhofer Feld to the south and southeast (matching the Qibla direction toward which the prayer hall faces) functions as an immense outer bright hall (đại Outer Bright Hall (Wai Ming Tang)), allowing sunlight and gentle southern breezes to gather without obstruction from high-rise blocks.
In terms of internal yin-yang balance, a historic cemetery naturally carries a quiet, contemplative yin quality. Raising the bright white limestone mosque with its 21.5-meter dome, twin 37.1-meter minarets catching the sun, and a lively Cultural Center and courtyard on the eastern side introduces active, luminous yang energy into the precinct, harmonizing yin and yang. Meanwhile, the century-old oaks and lindens of the Turkish Cemetery to the west wrap around the sanctuary as a green protective screen, preserving stillness and reverence.
VMajor Islamic festivals and cultural life
The Şehitlik Mosque is one of Berlin's liveliest centers of religious worship and community hospitality. Alongside the five daily prayers and the Friday midday congregational prayer (Jumu'ah) drawing worshippers from across Neukölln, Kreuzberg, and Tempelhof, the mosque celebrates the major feasts of the lunar Hijri calendar as well as the sacred illuminated nights known in Turkish tradition as Kandil.
| Date | Calendar system | Festival (Arabic and Turkish names) | Observance at the Şehitlik Mosque |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9th month of the Islamic calendar | Islamic lunar calendar (Hijri) | Month of Ramadan (Ramazan) | Believers fast from dawn to sunset, each evening the courtyard and cultural center host communal Iftar dinners for hundreds of guests followed by late-night Tarawih prayers beneath the chandelier-lit dome. |
| 27th night of Ramadan | Islamic lunar calendar (Hijri) | Night of Power (Laylat al-Qadr / Kadir Gecesi) | Commemorating the first revelation of the Quran to the Prophet Muhammad, the sanctuary fills to capacity for night-long prayer and Quranic recitation. |
| 1 to 3 Shawwal | Islamic lunar calendar (Hijri) | Eid al-Fitr (Ramazan Bayramı / Şeker Bayramı) | The three-day festival ending Ramadan (also called the Sugar Festival in Turkish). Begins with early morning festival prayers, visits to family graves in the cemetery, and a festive courtyard bazaar. |
| 10 to 13 Dhu al-Hijjah | Islamic lunar calendar (Hijri) | Eid al-Adha (Kurban Bayramı) | The four-day Festival of Sacrifice featuring solemn morning prayers, memorial prayers in the cemetery, and charitable meat distribution to families in need. |
| 12 Rabi' al-Awwal | Islamic lunar calendar (Hijri) | Birth of the Prophet Muhammad (Mawlid / Mevlid Kandili) | Celebrated with evening prayers and the traditional melodic chanting of the Turkish poem Mevlid-i Şerif by Süleyman Çelebi honoring the Prophet's life. |
| 3 October annually | Gregorian calendar annually | Open Mosque Day (Tag der offenen Moschee) | Welcomes thousands of Berliners and international visitors for guided tours of the İznik tilework, calligraphy demonstrations, and Turkish tea and pastries in the courtyard. |
With its classical Ottoman silhouette, courtyard bookshop, and welcoming tea garden, the Şehitlik Mosque has become one of Neukölln's most visited cultural landmarks, drawing architecture students, interfaith groups, and members of Berlin's Vietnamese community eager to experience authentic İznik ceramics and Ottoman sacred art in the German capital.
VILocation And How To Get There
- Address
- Columbiadamm 128, 10965 Berlin-Neukölln, Germany
- Getting there
- Located at Columbiadamm 128 in Berlin-Neukölln, directly opposite Volkspark Hasenheide and adjacent to Tempelhofer Feld. From central Berlin, visitors can take the U-Bahn line U8 to Boddinstraße or Leinestraße, or line U7 to Südstern, and either walk 10 minutes or take Bus 104 along Columbiadamm directly to the mosque gate.
- Coordinates
- 52.48139, 13.40972
The Şehitlik Mosque warmly welcomes visitors of all faiths to explore both the historic diplomatic cemetery and the upper prayer hall outside the times of congregational prayer. Before entering the main prayer hall on the first upper floor, visitors are asked to dress modestly (trousers or skirts covering the knees and tops covering the shoulders), remove shoes and place them on the wooden racks in the foyer, and women are asked to cover their hair with a headscarf (complimentary scarves are available at the entrance). When walking through the nineteenth-century diplomatic cemetery next door, please keep a respectful silence and do not step on the grave enclosures.
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?Quick Questions
What does the name Şehitlik mean and where does it come from
In Turkish, Şehitlik means a Martyrs' Cemetery or memorial burial ground for those who died while serving abroad. The mosque takes its name from the historic Turkish Cemetery (Türkischer Friedhof Berlin) surrounding it, which is the oldest Islamic burial ground in Germany with origins dating back to 1798.
How was the historic Turkish Cemetery beside the mosque founded
In October 1798, the first permanent Ottoman ambassador to Prussia, Ali Aziz Efendi, died in Berlin and was granted a burial plot near Tempelhof by King Frederick William III of Prussia. In 1866, King William I provided the current site on Columbiadamm, where the envoys' remains were reinterred and a Moorish minaret gatehouse designed by Carl von Diebitsch was erected.
When was the present Şehitlik Mosque built and in what architectural style
The current grand mosque was built between 1999 and 2005 by the Turkish-Islamic Union DITIB. Designed by Turkish architect Muharrem Hilmi Şenalp, it follows the Classical Ottoman style of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century master architect Mimar Sinan, with a central dome over 21 meters high and twin 37.1-meter minarets.
What craftsmanship and materials distinguish the interior of the Şehitlik Mosque
All major decorative elements were handcrafted in Turkey and brought to Berlin, including the white limestone exterior, the Marmara marble Mihrab and Minbar carved with gilded Muqarnas stalactite vaulting, hand-painted ceramic tiles from İznik and Kütahya, gold-leaf Arabic calligraphy by Hüseyin Kutlu, and painted Kalemişi floral motifs by Semih İrteş.
Can non-Muslim visitors enter the Şehitlik Mosque without an appointment
Yes. Individual visitors may enter the courtyard and the main prayer hall free of charge on most days outside congregational prayer hours, while groups can book guided tours in advance. Visitors simply need to remove their shoes at the entrance, dress modestly, and women are asked to wear a headscarf inside the sanctuary.