Turkiye

Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia

WHS Score 2.49
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Votes 29 Average 2.76
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Votes for Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia

0.5

  • Yevhen Ivanovych

2.0

  • Solivagant
  • Svein Elias
  • Tony H.
  • Zoe

2.5

  • Alexander Barabanov
  • Els Slots
  • Hubert
  • Juha Sjoeblom
  • Lucio Gorla
  • Maciej Gil
  • Randi Thomsen
  • Roger Ourset
  • Thomas van der Walt
  • Zoë Sheng

3.0

  • Afshin Iranpour
  • Astraftis
  • Can SARICA
  • Ivan Rucek
  • Jeffrey Chai Ran
  • Martina Rúčková
  • Stanislaw Warwas
  • Wojciech Fedoruk

3.5

  • Alexander Lehmann
  • Bin
  • Tarquinio_Superbo

4.0

  • Dimitar Krastev
  • Fan Yibo
  • Jan-Willem

The Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia show the development of a specific type of wooden architecture.

The use of wood in mosques was brought from Central Asia to Anatolia in the 11th century. The interiors of the mosques are characterized by wooden posts, a timber ceiling and wooden carvings. They also have colorful geometrical and floral paintings.

Community Perspective: the site consists of five mosques in different towns, even different provinces. Mahmut Bey Mosque, Eşrefoğlu Mosque, and Sivrihisar Mosque so far have been reviewed and are seen as worthy only of a slight detour.

 

Site Info

Official Information
Full Name
Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia (ID: 1694)
Country
Turkiye
Status
Inscribed 2023 Site history
History of Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia
2023: Advisory Body overruled
ICOMOS advised Referral for mgt issues
2023: Name change
Upon inscription, at the suggestion of ICOMOS: from "Medieval Mosques of Anatolia with Wooden Posts and Upper Structure" to "Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia"
2023: Inscribed
Inscribed
WHS Type
Cultural
Criteria
  • ii
  • iv
Links
UNESCO
whc.unesco.org
All Links
UNESCO.org

Community Information

  • Community Category
  • Natural landscape: Karst landscapes and caves
  • Religious structure: Islamic
Travel Information
Ankara Hotspot
Ankara Hotspot
Arslanhane Mosque lies in Ankara
Recent Connections
View all (12) .
Connections of Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia
Geography
History
  • Seljuk Empire
    "High officials of the Seljuk sultanates, chiefs of the beyliks, emirs, and wealthy merchants often patronised the construction of mosques that were smaller than the grand-scale stone and brick counterparts constructed by the sultans." (AB ev)
Architecture
  • Spolia
    "stone spolia (repurposed architectural fragments) form the capitals of columns" (AB ev)
  • Octagons
    "The Ahi Şerefeddin Tomb is located next to the Arslanhane Lodge. It has an octagonal pyramidal cone that sits atop an octagonal drum, which in turn sits on a square base" (AB ev)
  • Wooden architecture
    "The mosques have a structural system whereby the exterior envelopes are of masonry but the rows of columns (hypostyle) that support the flat ceilings and the roofs are all of wood" (AB ev)
  • Muqarnas
    "wooden muqarnas (three-dimensional “honeycomb” Islamic decorations) .. form the capitals of columns" (AB ev)
World Heritage Process
Religion and Belief
Constructions
  • Tombs
    Included with the mosques are some tombs, such as Süleyman Bey's Tomb, and the Half Tomb (Ottoman Tomb) (at Eşrefoğlu Mosque) and Ahi Şerefeddin Tomb (at Arslanhane)
Timeline
WHS Hotspots
WHS Names
  • Name changes
    Upon inscription, at the suggestion of ICOMOS: from "Medieval Mosques of Anatolia with Wooden Posts and Upper Structure" to "Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia"
News

No news.

Community Reviews

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First published: 23/05/25.

Zoe

Wooden Hypostyle Mosques Of Medieval Anatolia

Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia (Inscribed)

Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia by Zoe

I recently visited Aslanhane Mosque (in Turkish, Arslanhane Camisi) in Ankara as I was already in the city for the day due to a flight connection. This Seljuk mosque, built in 1290 CE, seems to be a lot smaller and less interesting than the other locations of this WHS. Thus, I wouldn't recommend it as a stop to anyone besides WHS travelers. I have seen a lot of Seljuk mosques/madrasahs, of comparable age, that are more stunning and visually intriguing during my time in Turkey (the Çifte Minareli Madrasah in Erzurum, built 1265 CE, if you want a rec)! However, what makes these hypostyle mosques interesting are the wooden beams inside, thought to have originated from the Mongol invasions half a century prior, according to UNESCO. When you arrive, there is a small plaque explaining the mosque's significance in Turkish only. In summary, Aslanhane mosque is near the historical area of Ankara, and if you are already visiting those sites, it is worth a short detour. However, I don't think I would recommend it for anyone farther away. 

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First published: 10/05/23.

Els Slots

Wooden Hypostyle Mosques Of Medieval Anatolia

Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia (Inscribed)

Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia by Els Slots

The Great Mosque of Sivrihisar is both a stand-alone entry on Turkey’s Tentative List and one of the locations of the five Wooden columned and wooden roofed mosques in Anatolia. It can be easily visited along the way from Iznik to Gordion, as the road passes the town. The mosque stands proudly at the main square, surrounded by a 14th-century mausoleum, an Ottoman clock tower, and some statues of a turbaned man which I think represent the local folklore character Nasreddin Hodja (who has his own spot at the UNESCO Intangible Heritage List).

The mosque dates back to the 13th century, as attested to by stone inscriptions above the gates. It is still in use as a mosque, so you have to take off your shoes and female travellers should keep their headscarves ready. An explanation in English about its history can be found next to the main gate. Not much natural light enters the building, you can switch on the electric lights yourself after entering to better be able to admire the decoration.

The use of wooden poles as a bearing system for the roof of a mosque was a Seljuk innovation. The number used in Sivrihisar (67) was exceptionally large. Wood is also used in the ceiling and as a dividing mechanism for the women’s section. Superficially they just look like bare poles, but some of them are finely decorated with flowers and motifs at the top. A few column heads even have spolia

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First published: 01/03/22.

Zoë Sheng

Wooden Hypostyle Mosques Of Medieval Anatolia

Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia (Inscribed)

Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia by Zoë Sheng

Although the most obvious visit may seem the mosque in Ankara I wanted to do as little as necessary in the capital. While road tripping I visited the Hittite spring nearby Eşrefoğlu Mosque but even with two sites to visit it hardly makes it worth a side trip, especially 2h from Konya and back doesn't seem worth it at all.

The laid-back town has almost no traffic and plenty of parking around the mosque. There is a sign for prayer but it was open and not a soul inside. Like most bigger mosques in Turkey there is a woman's section leading around the back and and up to the balcony, which I'll refer to as the VIP seats to make myself feel better about it.

As there was nobody in the mosque I took some pics from the entrance before ascending. In this case the roof can be seen better from up there anyway.

While I think the craftsmanship is solid and well done, I don't think they quite have the same class of wooden churches in Eastern Europe, and I'm not entirely sure how re-roofed these are now. It's been over 700 years since they were built and I can't see these wooden beams being original.

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First published: 05/06/19.

Wojciech Fedoruk

Wooden Hypostyle Mosques Of Medieval Anatolia

Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia (Inscribed)

Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia by Wojciech Fedoruk

We visited Mahmut Bey mosque on the way from Safranbolu to Kizilirmak delta (a 2019 nomination that was withdrawn by Turkey after negative ICOMOS evaluation). It needed a short detour to the rural area of Kasaba where the mosque is located. It was around 6pm and the mosque was already closed but the guardian spotted us on the way and returned to open it just for us. It was very fortunate as from the outside the mosque is not special. It is its iterior that is particularly beautiful and interesting.

The mosque was built in XIVth century. No cement was used (except for mihrab) and the roof was built without any metal. So the inside is entirely wooden, with beautiful paintings. I am not aware how many original elements survived but overall it looked very old. Turkey has not publicly revealed any plans to inscribe the mosque* but… UNESCO plaque is already there! Not WHS plaque and they admit it is on tentative list only, but still I find it misleading.

*written in 2019. In 2023 the mosque was inscribed as a component of serial nomination 'Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia'.

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