Turkish Delight in Kaaba-shaped box is the latest religious trend in Turkey

ISTANBUL

A private firm has added yet another twist to the religious-themed frenzy in Turkey, offering Turkish Delight in the shape of the most sacred site in Islam: The Kabaa in the holy city of Mecca.

One Kabaa-shaped box of Turkish Delight is available for 1.75 liras, but images of the box stirred anger and ridicule among some social media users.

The Üsküdar Municipality, an Istanbul municipality held by the ruling Justice and the Development Party (AKP), had previously raised eyebrows by constructing a replica of Mecca, as well as other sacred places, in a site named the “Village of the Age of Happiness.” Some visitors reportedly circumambulated the Kabaa at the site seven times, in an imitation of the Islamic ritual conducted while on pilgrimage.

Meanwhile, the Tuzla Municipality inaugurated a “Hijra Walking Track” featuring the holy Sevr Cave and other novelties such as lookalikes of two hills in the real-life Mecca, as well as a traffic sign that shows the distance to Medina alongside a cardboard camel.

However, Turkey’s top religious body, the Religious Affairs Directorate (Diyanet), has slammed the replicas of Mecca and sacred objects, denouncing them as a “great sin” to be used for ritualistic purposes.

Recently, the Diyanet had also opened investigation over a Quran shaped cake made by Quranic class students in the Black Sea province of Tokat in 2013, stating that the cake did not comply with the spirit of the Holy Birth of the Prophet Muhammad and the Quran.