| UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
|---|---|
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 Interactive map of Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital | |
| Location | Divriği,Sivas Province,Turkey |
| Criteria | Cultural: (i), (iv) |
| Reference | 358 |
| Inscription | 1985 (9thSession) |
| Area | 2,016 ha (4,980 acres) |
| Coordinates | 39°22′16.576″N38°07′18.574″E / 39.37127111°N 38.12182611°E /39.37127111; 38.12182611 |
  Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital Location of Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital in Turkey | |
Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital (Turkish:Divriği Ulu Cami ve Darüşşifası) was built in 1228–1229 by the local dynasty of theMengujekids in the smallAnatolian town ofDivriği, now inSivas Province,Turkey.[1] The complex is in the upper town, below the citadel. The exquisite stone carvings and eclecticarchitecture of the complex places it among the most important works of architecture inAnatolia[2] and led to its inclusion onUNESCO'sWorld Heritage List in 1985.[3]
The city of Divriği was founded in the 9th century underByzantine rule, but after the defeat of the Byzantines in theBattle of Manzikert (1071) it was occupied byTurkish tribes who settled the region.[4] In this period the region ofAnatolia came to be ruled by numerous competingbeyliks ruled by local Turkish dynasties and offshoots of theSeljuk dynasty. In the 12th century, theMengujekids or Mengücek dynasty controlled Divriği and other nearby cities such asErzincan. During the same century, after the death of emir İshak, the dynasty was divided into two branches, with one ruling from Divriği while another branch ruled from Erzincan. The Mengujekids were related by marriage to theSeljuks of Konya and acknowledged them as their protectors and allies when the Sultanate of Rum, ruled fromKonya, was at the height of its power.[2]: 27–32
The Mengücek rulers were great patrons of arts, science, and literature. Art historianDoğan Kuban argues that this may account for why a group of exceptional artists, necessary for the construction of the mosque and hospital, would have been present in the city around this time.[2]: 30–31 He also notes that the cultural environment in this part of the world was highly diverse and dynamic during this period. Various groups of artisans and craftsmen likely travelled the region and moved from patron to patron, giving rise to an eclectic style of architecture that reflected influences from different places and traditions.[2]
The north portal of the mosque gives the date of 626 AH (1228-9) and the name of its patron asAhmadshāh ibn Sulaymān, who is one of the rulers of the Divriği branch of the Mengujekids.[5] The inscription on the portal of the hospital describes the building as adār al-shifā' ("house of healing") and ascribes its foundation to Tūrān Malik bint Fakhr al-Dīn Bahramshāh. Fakhr al-Dīn Bahramshāh is the best-known Mengujekid ruler whose reign, in Erzincan, lasted for nearly sixty years until his death in 1225. Although it is often assumed that Ahmadshāh and Tūrān Malik were married, there is no evidence, inscriptional or otherwise, to prove a matrimonial relationship between these two members of the extended Mengujekid royal family.[5]
The name of the chief architect is inscribed in the interior of both the mosque and the hospital and has been read as Khurramshāh ibn Mughīth al-Khilātī. The name indicates his origin in the city ofAhlat, known in medieval sources as al-Khilāt.[5]
According to inscriptions, the complex was significantly restored multiple times between the 15th and 19th centuries. More restoration work was carried out in the 20th century to counteract material deterioration and structural problems.[3] In 2010 another major restoration process was decided. After several years of preparation, restoration work began in 2015 when the firsttender was held. The project halted and then resumed in 2017, but halted again in 2019 for financial reasons, though many stages of the process were already completed by then. A new tender was held in 2021 and in February 2022 work resumed on the last stages of the restoration process.[6][7] The mosque was reopened to visitors in May 2024 after the project's completion.[8][9][10]
The building complex consists of a mosque which adjoins thehospital with which it shares its southern,qibla wall. A mausoleum is attached to the hospital.[2]
The main entrance to the mosque is on the northern side and is marked by a tallportal which is celebrated for the quality and density of itshigh-relief stone carving. An entrance on the western side may be from a later date, as thisfaçade of the mosque had collapsed and was rebuilt at a later date when it was also strengthened by a roundbuttress on the north-western corner. A third entrance to the mosque is located on the eastern façade. This entrance appears to have served as a royal entrance which gave access to the raised wooden platform in the southeastern corner of the mosque's interior, reserved for the ruler and his entourage.[5]
The interior of the mosque consists of stonepiers which support the stonevaults above. The central bay of the mosque appears to have been left open to the sky, as is the case in other medieval Anatolian mosques which omit courtyards. Some of the original wooden furnishings of the mosque survive along its qibla wall, such as the shutters on the window opening to the tomb chamber within the hospital and its woodenminbar dated to 1243 and signed by the craftsman Ibrahīm ibn Ahmad al-Tiflīsī. Some carved wooden panels said to belong to the royal platform are today on view in themuseum of the Directorate of Pious Endowments inAnkara.[5]
The hospital is entered through its portal located on the western façade. Different in design from the north portal of the mosque, the hospital portal is framed by a monumental pointed arch and features a window in the center. The stone carving here is of the same quality as the main mosque portal but is less dense and appears, in certain places, to be unfinished. The interior of the hospital consists of rooms andiwans placed around a covered courtyard with a small pool in the center. The hospital has a second story on its southern side which is reached by a staircase just inside the entrance. One of the rooms of the hospital was dedicated to serve as a dynastic tomb chamber. This room has a window opening to the mosque.[5]
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| Central Anatolia | |
| East Anatolia | |
| Marmara | |
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| Southeastern Anatolia | |
| Multiple regions | |
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