Restoration of 827-year-old Great Mosque in Sivas begins

Restoration of the historical Great Mosque, one of the Seljuk period works, which has a slope of 117 centimeters from the foundation to the end, begins

Great Mosque, a Seljuk period monument in Sivas with a 117-centimeter slope from foundation to tip, is set for a comprehensive restoration.

The Great Mosque’s minaret, one of the first mosques in Anatolia, was built in 1197 by Kutbuddin Meliksah, the son of Seljuk Sultan Kilicarslan II. Notably, its 117-centimeter slope is a distinctive architectural feature that draws attention.

The works initiated by the Sivas Regional Directorate of Foundations continue.

According to the information obtained from the officials of the Regional Directorate of Foundations, the comprehensive restoration project prepared for the mosque, primarily the minaret, has been completed.

Following the acceptance of the project submitted to the Cultural Heritage Protection Board, work will begin.

Minaret to be reinforced with steel

The restoration project is planned to descend from the interior of the mosque minaret to the ground using drilling and support with eight steel connections.

Following the work on the minaret, various restoration and conservation works will be carried out on the main building of the mosque.

The project, designed specifically for the minaret and the mosque, aims to repair the deteriorating sections of the building, eliminate excess loads, and restore parts that are incompatible with the mosque’s internal structure. Additionally, enhancements to the courtyard and restroom facilities are part of the project’s scope

Sivas Great Mosque

The Great Mosque, one of the oldest mosques in Anatolia, is among the important building blocks in the development of mosque interiors in the history of architecture in Anatolia.

The historical building, one of the rare examples of a flat-roofed, rectangular-planned, kufe-type mosque with entrances to its courtyard from three directions, predates the widespread adoption of domes in Islamic architecture. According to some scholars, the mosque is also considered a work of the Danismentli period.

Source: Newsroom