Els Slots

The Netherlands - 29-Apr-23 -

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: these stone ornaments are said to have originated from the nearby ancient Hellenistic & Roman city of Pessinus.

The pulpit was made out of walnut wood and also is of the 13th century. It is considered a masterpiece of Seljuk woodworking. However, it did not originally belong to this mosque – it was moved here from a smaller mosque in another town in 1924.

The mosque looked different from what I had seen beforehand in photos and gathered from the Tentative Site description – the colour has gone since the last restoration, maybe some work still needs to be done, or will they keep this more natural look? The outer wall used to be painted green – according to this article from 2016 the ‘poor plaster’ was a later addition and the mosque is known to originally have had naked walls. The upper parts of the wooden columns used to be painted green, red and black, but I didn’t notice any colouring.

Overall a visit to Sivrihisar is a nice break from driving long distances in Anatolia, but expect nothing mindblowing. The only chance for inscription I see is as a part of a serial nomination, and even then only if the selection contains a varied inventory of old wooden mosques.

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