Nature, Place, and the Sacred

Biophilic Design as a Mediator of Spiritual Experience in a 13th Century Anatolian Seljuk Mosque

Bibliographic Data

ID8135267
AuthorsAyşegül Durukan (0000-0002-0888-5531, Akdeniz University), Reyhan Erdoğan (0000-0001-8524-4650, Akdeniz University, corresponding author), Rifat Olgun (0000-0002-5396-057X, Akdeniz University)
Year2026
Volume17
Issue3
Pages293
Publication date2026-02-26
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueReligions (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2077-1444 • E-ISSN: 2077-1444
PublisherMDPI AG (PUBLISHER • IT)
DOI10.3390/rel17030293
OpenAlexW7131641099
LanguageEN
References cited31

Religious buildings such as synagogues, churches, and mosques, which are central to religious, cultural, and social life, have served important purposes throughout history as sacred spaces where art, architecture and performance converge. Although these sacred spaces offer unique spatial contexts that deepen individuals’ spiritual experiences through their physical, symbolic, and atmospheric qualities, empirical studies examining this relationship remain limited. This study aims to investigate the impact of biophilic design features within the Yivli Minaret Mosque, one of the oldest Islamic monuments in Antalya, constructed during the 13th-century Anatolian Seljuk Period, on the spiritual experiences of congregation members, and to identify the key psychological mechanisms shaping this relationship. The methodology of the study is based on a mixed-methods approach that combines expert assessments conducted using the Biophilic Interior Design Matrix (BID-M), which integrates proven scientific data with artistic perspective within a historical and symbolic religious structure, with survey data obtained from 359 mosque congregation members. The findings indicate that the mosque exhibits medium-to-high levels of biophilic design characteristics and that the relationship with nature is established indirectly through historical, cultural, and ecological contexts and symbolic representations rather than directly through natural elements. In this respect, the biophilic characteristics of sacred spaces are not merely an artistic and aesthetic approach, but an element that supports individuals’ relationship with nature and their restorative and spiritual experience. Overall, the study reveals that spiritual experience cannot be considered independently of its spatial context and that sacred spaces related to nature support spiritual experience

Context (archaeology · Element (criminal law · Empirical research · Islam · Natural (archaeology · Perspective (graphical · Spirituality · The Symbolic · Architecture · Architecture and Cultural Influences · Place Attachment and Urban Studies · Urban Green Space and Health

Tools

Open DOIOpen Access