DIVRIGI GREAT MOSQUE

Constructed in the thirteenth century by the Anatolian Seljuks, the Divriǧi Great Mosque and Hospital are immediately recognizable for their artistic architecture and exquisite stone carvings, considered by many to be the best in Turkey.  Attracting particular attention are the beautiful patterned reliefs found on the main door that distinguish the monument at Divriǧi.  Scholars speculate that the architect was perhaps inspired by Armenian and Georgian architectural styles.  All designs are explicitly arranged to demonstrate visually the unity of the divine.

The building complex consists of a mosque that adjoins the hospital, sharing its southern wall.  The northern entrance to the mosque is a tall portal celebrated for both the quality and density of its high-relief stone carvings.  The entrance on the western side may be from a later date, as this façade of the mosque collapsed at some point and was rebuilt. A third entrance to the mosque is located on the eastern façade. This entrance appears to have served as a royal gateway that gave access to the raised wooden platform in the southeastern corner of the mosque's interior, reserved for the ruler and his entourage.  The interior of the mosque consists of stone piers that support the vaults 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 that lack courtyards. Some of the original wooden furnishings of the mosque survive along its southern wall.

Enter the hospital through its main door located on the western façade, a portal framed by a monumental pointed arch that features a window in the center. The stone carving here is of the same fine quality as the main mosque door, but is less dense and appears, in certain places, to be unfinished.  The interior of the hospital consists of rooms vaulted halls (iwans) around a covered courtyard.  One room serves as a dynastic tomb, with its window opening directly onto the mosque.