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Kündekari art in the Çamlıca mosque

The Çamlıca mosque in Istanbul is the biggest mosque of Turkey and can be seen from everywhere in the metropolis. The impressive building contains a lot of wood that was manufactured according to the ancient art form of ‘Kündekari’. To protect the wood, a treatment with Rubio Monocoat was chosen.

Kündekari

All the doors, window shades, balusters, hand rails, … in the Çamlıca mosque were made according to the centuries-old tradition Kündekari. This technique was developed in Aleppo, Egypt and Anatolia during the Seljuk period (around the 11th century). It is an ancient Turkish woodworking art for which you are not allowed to use any nails, screws or any kind of adhesive whatsoever. The word Kündekari has its origin in Ottoman Turkish and it means ‘holding and understanding’. After all, the decorative technique requires that small geometrical pieces of wood, such as a pentagon, octagon or star, are simply interlocked. The advantage of this technique is that you prevent moisture and heat change, so that the wood will not warp or bend over time.

Ancient technique meets revolutionary technique

At Rubio Monocoat Turkey they were immediately ready to provide the best protection for this wood project. All the wood in the mosque was treated with our interior oil Rubio Monocoat Oil Plus 2C. Thanks to our revolutionary technique of molecular binding, the ancient technique of Kündekari gets the right protection. For the doors and windows they chose the colour Pure, the railings got a protective layer with a mix of Bourbon and Black.

Tip of the month: how do you start with Kündekari?

Want to try out this wood art for yourself? Then it’s important to know which wood types are most often used for this technique. Oak, walnut, ebony and rose trees are mostly used for Kündekari. Are you working on an exterior project? Then oak, ash and iroko trees are most suited to withstand harsh weather conditions. Walnut, cherry, boxwood and pear trees are generally used for indoors. In addition, a planer can help you make the pieces of wood fit better.


Project name: Çamlıca Mosque
Location: Istanbul, Turkey
Product: Rubio Monocoat Oil Plus 2C
Colour: Pure for the doors, window blinds & frames – Mix of Bourbon and Black for the railings
Wood Type: Oak
Contractors: Sedef Dograma @sedefdograma and ASD Ahsap Kapi
Sent in by: Rubio Monocoat Turkey (Murat Işin) - @rubiomonocoat_turkey

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Your Rubio Monocoat project in the spotlight for a month? Wouldn’t that be fantastic?
Send all the pictures of your Rubio project to: project@rubiomonocoat.com. Your project will be featured on our website and social media for a month.

Warm regards,
The Rubio Monocoat Head Office