“Whose Mosque Is It?”: Women’s Roles, Experiences, and Spatial Negotiations in Türkiye

Who “owns” mosques in Türkiye is a layered question, particularly regarding women’s varied roles and experiences. While mosque architecture often reflects male-centered frameworks, women’s relationships with these spaces are not uniform. Some see mosques as central to worship and social engagement; others avoid them for cultural or personal reasons. KADEM’s “Camiler Hepimizin” (“Mosques Belong to All of Us”) project evaluates “women-friendly” features quantitatively but does not capture women’s subjective perceptions. This paper compares two contrasting examples in Istanbul—the Fatih Hafız Ahmet Paşa Mosque (low score) and the Üsküdar Valide Cedid Mosque (high score)—to explore how women negotiate mosque spaces in practice. Drawing on Michel de Certeau’s tactics, Edward Soja’s Thirdspace, and Doreen Massey’s power-geometry, I investigate how women engage, transform, or bypass these environments. Addressing the conference theme of “freedom,” this study reveals how “counter-hegemonic” spatial practices emerge, ultimately reshaping notions of worship, belonging, and spatial justice.