It was conceived in response to the Sancaklar family's desire to construct a mosque in a location with views of Buyukcekmece Lake, within a neighborhood of gated communities.

In the BBC series Civilisations, classicist Mary Beard described it as "one of the most striking religious creations of modern times" and "one of the most startling mosques in the world".

The displacements in the mosque reveal that its essential significance lies not in its familiarity with historical and customary formal elements, but in its attempt at defamiliarization.

[1] At the forefront of designing the mosque, physical and emotional pleasure were the principal focus, and this can be seen in the representation of the purest forms of light and matter.

[3] This unconventional approach allows the wall to envelop the primary prayer area, while also drawing visual attention to the point where a change in direction is introduced.

[2] This architectural illusion generates ambiguity in how one perceives and conceptualizes the qibla wall by disrupting the equilibrium between the mihrab and the minbar through a subtle change in direction.

While the wall still serves to indicate the qibla, its primary function becomes that of a pivotal spatial element, framing the liturgical components (minbar, mihrab, and minaret) and forging connections among them.

[1] As the sole prominently vertical element within the site, the minaret serves as a visible landmark from a distance, indicating a location without specifically signaling the presence of a mosque.

Despite the modest structure of Sancaklar Mosque, seemingly concealed within the natural landscape, the towering minaret asserts its individuality above the ground.