OUR TEAM
SÜLEYMAN DERİN - PROJECT
COORDINATOR
He was born in the
Tavşanlı district of Kütahya in 1968. In 1991, he graduated from the Faculty of
Theology in Marmara University and prepared a dissertation for his master’s
degree from the same faculty in 1993. He was invited to prepare a PhD thesis at
the Institute of Middle Eastern Studies at Leeds University in England. He
completed this in 1999. Now with the title of Prof. Dr. at Marmara University,
he lectures on the history of Sufism, Orientalism and Sufistic Interpretations
of The Qur'an. In the year 2018, he initiated the Blue Mosque Introduction
project with the cooperation of Marmara University Faculty of Theology, the
Blue Mosque Association, and the Office of Istanbul Mufti.
VOLUNTEERS: İREM ÇİFTÇİ
AYATA
Born in 1996, she got
her primary and secondary education in her hometown, in the Şebinkarahisar
district of Giresun Province. She started her Theology in English bachelor
degree at Marmara University in 2014, and completed it in 2019. In the last
year of her bachelor degree, she joined the Blue Mosque Introduction Project as
volunteer coordinator. After graduation, she was hired by the Blue Mosque as a
staff member. She also enrolled in a master’s degree programme for Religious
Music at Istanbul University.
VOLUNTEERS: TUĞÇE YILMAZ
She was born in Istanbul
in 1996. She attended Marmara University in 2014 to study Theology in English,
and finished her bachelor degree within four years, plus a year of
language preparatory studies. After completing her third year of university,
she went to Jordan for some time. Last year she started volunteering for the
Blue Mosque Introduction Project. In 2019 she started doing her master’s in the
field of Sociology of Religion at Marmara University. She worked at the Blue
Mosque as a staff member for 3 months, then chose to continue working there as
a volunteer.
VOLUNTEERS: RABİA KOCATAŞ
She was born in Istanbul
in December 1996. After graduating from high school she began studying Theology
in English at Marmara University in 2014. At the end of her first year, she was
offered a place in the English teaching department to do a double major. After
her third year of Theology, she went to Jordan for a month and a half. In her
last year, she decided to volunteer for the Blue Mosque Introduction Project.
She graduated from Theology in 2019 and became a staff member at the Blue
Mosque for two months. She later continued working at the mosque as a
volunteer. She then completed her English teaching degree in 2020 and won a
place at Ibn Haldun University to do her master’s in History of
Religions.
VOLUNTEERS: ZEYNEP BÜŞRA ALTUNDAĞ
She was born in Adana in
1996. She went to primary school in Adana and high school in Istanbul. She
began studying Theology in English at Marmara University in 2014. She spent a
semester at the International Islamic University of Malaysia from February to
June in 2018. After returning to Turkey, she took part in the Blue Mosque
Introduction Project during the last year of her bachelor degree. After
graduation in 2019, she started a master’s programme for History of Philosophy
at Istanbul University and worked as a staff member in the Blue Mosque. After
working in the Blue Mosque for three months, she stayed on as a
volunteer.