If you are going to Turkey not for a beach holiday, but for culture and color, then your first associations with this country are baklava, lokum, old men in tubeteikas, sounds of prayer and, of course, mosques.

Adana is one of those not touristic but very picturesque cities of Turkey. For the first time, you may be misled by its excessive modernity, glass and concrete buildings and modern style sculptures. However, if you look closely, you will notice the satisfying terracotta color of houses, feel the smell of fresh baklava and aromatic coffee and hear a voice from loudspeakers that calls Muslims to go to a mosque for prayer.

About 30 thousand locals go to the main mosque of Adana – Sabancı Merkez (Sabancı Central Mosque). This is the biggest mosque in Turkey. If you go up on a relatively high building in any part of the city you will see the minarets of that mosque. Today the mosque is the heart and symbol of Adana. It was built in the classic Ottoman style.

Sabancı Central Mosque is so majestic and beautiful, that you do not quite know how to approach it. Indeed, it is one of the biggest mosques in Turkey. Its two minarets reach a height of 99 meters, the other two are 75 meters high. The dome rises to the height of 54 meters. The walls on both sides are covered with writings. Magnificent examples of calligraphy are literally everywhere. The entrance is made of white marble.

The mosque is a real masterpiece. Before coming in, you better enjoy its exterior part. Do not forget to cover your legs before entering the mosque.

The builders chose a very good location: the mosque is at the intersection of several highways and is very easy to reach. A river flows on one side of the mosque, and on the other, you can see a green lawn with fountains. Despite the noise from the road, such a location creates an atmosphere of peace which is suitable for prayer.

You can walk and enjoy the architecture of Sabancı Merkez in the park which surrounds the mosque.