A previous annulment decision on the mosque project planned to be built on the green area in Kadıköy Rıhtım was overturned by the Court of Appeal. The Chamber of Architects stated that the decision did not take into account the city silhouette and the visual relationship with Haydarpaşa Station and announced that they will appeal to the Council of State against the decision.
According to the news on Halk TV, a new stage has been reached in the judicial process regarding the mosque project, which is planned to be built on the filling area, which has been used as a green area for a long time on the Kadıköy coastline. As a result of the lawsuit filed by Kadıköy Municipality, the local court canceled the project in 2024 based on expert reports. However, the 4th Administrative Case Department of the Istanbul Regional Administrative Court reversed this annulment with its decision dated December 15, 2025 and ruled for the dismissal of the lawsuit.
Commenting on the decision, the Istanbul Metropolitan Branch of the Chamber of Architects argued that the expert reports prepared during the lawsuit process contained scientific and technical warnings regarding the project area, but these warnings were not taken into account in the appeal decision. In the Chamber's statement, it was stated that the visual relationship with the symbolic bay of Kadıköy and Haydarpaşa Station was not established in the project, and the effects on the city silhouette of the Anatolian Side were not sufficiently evaluated.
The statement also argued that the regional administrative court invalidated some critical findings in the expert report on procedural grounds, such as the exemption of mosque structures from the height limits in the Coastal Law. The court's decision was based on the administrative certainty of the plans instead of the physical reality of the city and its transportation and infrastructure impacts. The Chamber of Architects stated that they will appeal the decision to the Council of State and follow the process.
The findings of the expert report were also included in the decision of the Istanbul 3rd Administrative Court, which had previously canceled the project. In the report, it was reminded that there are many mosques within walking distance around the project area; Sultan Mustafa 3rd İskele Mosque is approximately 400 meters away, Osman Aga, Kethüda Çarşı and Cafer Aga mosques are approximately 500 meters away. However, it was stated that no comprehensive assessment of human and vehicle traffic was made.
The report also emphasized that the underground parking lot planned with the mosque overlaps with the conservation area on which registered trees are located, and that this may lead to the transformation of the area from a pedestrian-oriented use to a vehicle-oriented structure.
The impacts on the city skyline were also evaluated under a separate heading in the report. Accordingly, it was stated that the visual interaction of the project with the historical peninsula and monumental buildings on the opposite shore was not addressed, that an evaluation limited to the buildings in the nearest protected area was made and that a holistic urban perspective was missing.