The photo shoot that a model under the instructions of the director Bilal Kisa in the largest and most important mosque in Ankara caused strong reactions in Turkey.
What angered the Turks was the young model's attire, which was deemed inappropriate for a woman in a mosque.
As seen in the photos posted on Instagram - but later "taken down" after the backlash - the model wears a short sleeve that exposes her belly, a white scarf, and a rosary while posing at the Kocatepe Mosque.
"These photos capture the magic of opposites in their purest form," the director wrote in the text accompanying the photos.
After the publication of the photos and the reactions caused by the Ankara governor's office, an investigation was announced.
"A judicial and administrative investigation has been launched into the photos that appear to have been taken at the Kocatepe Mosque in our city and circulated through social media, insulting the worship for the mosque."
In a new post on Instagram, the director wrote: “I am sad to see that the work I did in Kocatepe has strayed so far from its purpose and entered other paths. Although I intended to break the prejudices of those who do not love the mosque to show that the mosque is a place where everyone finds peace, I am concerned that my family and I are even accused of treason. I apologise to everyone I hurt or misunderstood."
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