Muharrem Hilmi Şenalp (born 1957 in Konya, Turkey) is a Turkish architect. His work is often inspired by Ottoman architecture. He has been called Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's "court architect", and is a close friend of the president. His company, Hassa Architecture, specializes in neo-Ottoman style. Şenalp takes inspiration from 16th century architect Mimar Sinan, who worked for Suleiman the Magnificent.[1][2]: 56–57 [3]
Kishwar Rizvi, professor of Islamic art, says "Hilmi Şenalp's mosques are a signature of Turkish identity, exported through the diaspora as reminders of the home nation, and built in foreign lands as diplomatic gifts of brotherhood."[2]: 66 [6] She states that the mosques, sponsored by the Turkish government, seems to equate ethnicity with religious identity, and compares him with Vedat Dalokay, who designed the Faisal Mosque in Islamabad. Şenalp says "The mosque is the heart of our civilization, Turkish-Islamic civilization."[2]: 28, 199 A SETA Foundation publication says "Beyond doubt, the architectural designs of Şenalp, whether traditional or contemporary, is a deliberate manifestation of a quest for identity of its architect and of its sponsors. This approach reinterprets the traditional forms in such a way that it is related to the past, history and memory."[7]
