Şehitlik-Moschee

The Sehitlik Mosque on Columbiadamm in Neukoelln is one of Germany's largest mosques, built between 1999 and 2005 in classical Ottoman style with two minarets and a central dome. It stands on the grounds of the Turkish Cemetery, established as a diplomats' cemetery in 1866 - a Prussian gift to the Ottoman Empire, which is why the mosque is called Sehitlik, from the Turkish word for the grave of a martyr or fallen soldier. The builder is DITIB, the Turkish state-affiliated religious body, which makes the mosque politically discussed. Visitors can see the prayer hall with its traditionally painted dome outside prayer times, and student guides from the community regularly explain architecture, cemetery and Muslim daily life in Berlin during open tours.