Divrigi Great Mosque, Darussifa to reopen following restoration
The restoration works at Divrigi Great Mosque, which dazzles with its unique crown doors, have been completed. The mosque will start welcoming visitors on May 6
Divrigi’s Great Mosque and Darussifa, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has undergone a major restoration by the General Directorate of Foundations. The project, which began in 2015, included vital improvements to the historic building. Workers replaced the roof, cleaned the stonework using lasers, stabilized cracks with an injection system, and reinforced the structure.
According to the statement made by the Sivas Governor’s Office, the 800-year-old historical Divrigi Great Mosque and Darussifa, which is described as the “Alhambra (El Hamra) of Anatolia,” will be opened on May 6, 2024, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan attending the event via video conference.
Sivas Governor Yilmaz Simsek inspected the Divrigi Great Mosque and Darussifa, where he closely followed the restoration process.
Stating that the meticulous and comprehensive restoration works have been successfully completed, Simsek said, “I would like to thank our ministers, especially our President, our ministers, our deputies, all the employees from engineers to workers and our related institutions for the restoration of this unique work.”
In order to create a more fitting setting for this architectural gem, authorities expropriated 190 buildings surrounding the mosque.
El Hamra of Anatolia
The Divrigi Great Mosque, built in 1228 by Ahmed Shah, the son of the ruler Suleyman Shah during the reign of Mengucekogullari, one of the Anatolian principalities, covers an area of 1,280 square meters. The Darussifa, built by Melike Turan Melek, the daughter of Behram Shah, in the same year, adjacent to the mosque, covers an area of 768 square meters.
This 800-year-old marvel draws attention with its unique architectural style and its significance in Islamic history. European scholars have compared it to the Alhambra Palace in Granada, Spain, another cornerstone of Islamic architecture. The intricate details and structural ingenuity particularly impress architects, engineers, and art historians.
The crown gate of the Darussifa, the northern and western crown gates of the mosque and the crown gate of the Shah Mahfili dazzle with their unique decorations.
Source: Newsroom
