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36-518: The 13th century Great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği are on UNESCO 's World Heritage List by virtue of the exquisite carvings and architecture of both buildings. There are large iron mines nearby and the town is on the Turkish rail network . The Hittites may used the iron ore . In the 9th century the town was known as Abrik and controlled by the Paulicians with the support of Arabs and

72-633: A thema . In the early eleventh century, the town was part of the territory given to the Armenian king Seneqerim-Hovhannes of Vaspurakan in exchange for his lands in Vaspurakan . After the battle of Manzikert (present day Malazgirt ), Divriği came under the control of the Sultanate of Rûm . The Mengüjeks built the Great Mosque and hospital . A medieval castle, with remains mostly from

108-641: A duchy or principality in other parts of Europe. Following the 1071 Seljuk victory over the Byzantine Empire at the Battle of Manzikert and the subsequent conquest of Anatolia, Oghuz Turkic clans began settling in present-day Turkey . The Seljuk Sultanate of Rum 's central power established in Konya was largely as a result of using these clans under appointed beys called uç bey or uj begi (especially in border areas to ensure safety against

144-567: A semi-arid climate ( Köppen : BSk ), with hot, dry summers, and cold, snowy winters. About 103 of the 109 villages are populated by Alevis . The majority of the Alevi population is Turkish , with a significant Kurdish Alevi minority. Evliya Çelebi included that Divriği was made up of Greeks and Turkomans as well as Armenians and Kurds in his seyahatname . Great Mosque and Hospital of Divri%C4%9Fi Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital ( Turkish : Divriği Ulu Cami ve Darüşşifası )

180-505: A group of exceptional artists, necessary for the construction of the mosque and hospital, would have been present in the city around this time. He also notes that the cultural environment in this part of the world was highly diverse and dynamic during this period. Various groups of artisans and craftsmen likely travelled the region and moved from patron to patron, giving rise to an eclectic style of architecture that reflected influences from different places and traditions. The north portal of

216-410: A mosque which adjoins the hospital with which it shares its southern, qibla wall. A mausoleum is attached to the hospital. The main entrance to the mosque is on the northern side and is marked by a tall portal which is celebrated for the quality and density of its high-relief stone carving. An entrance on the western side may be from a later date, as this façade of the mosque had collapsed and

252-643: A period of about 25 years. The final blow to the Beylik of Karaman was struck by Mehmed II , who conquered their lands and re-assured a homogeneous rule in Anatolia. The further steps towards a single rule by the Ottomans were taken by Selim I who conquered territories of the Beylik of Ramadan and the Beylik of Dulkadir in 1515 during his campaign against the Mamluk Sultanate , and his son Süleyman

288-686: A result of the decline of the Seljuq Sultanate of Rûm in the latter half of the 13th century. One of the beyliks , that of the Osmanoğlu of the Kayı branch of Oghuz Turks , from its capital in Bursa completed its incorporation of the other beyliks to form the Ottoman Empire by the late 15th century. The word beylik denotes a territory under the jurisdiction of a bey , equivalent to

324-418: Is less dense and appears, in certain places, to be unfinished. The interior of the hospital consists of rooms and iwans placed around a covered courtyard with a small pool in the center. The hospital has a second story on its southern side which is reached by a staircase just inside the entrance. One of the rooms of the hospital was dedicated to serve as a dynastic tomb chamber. This room has a window opening to

360-405: Is often assumed that Ahmadshāh and Tūrān Malik were married, there is no evidence, inscriptional or otherwise, to prove a matrimonial relationship between these two members of the extended Mengujekid royal family. The name of the chief architect is inscribed in the interior of both the mosque and the hospital and has been read as Khurramshāh ibn Mughīth al-Khilātī. The name indicates his origin in

396-506: The beys , who had until then been vassals to the Sultanate of Rum , to declare sovereignty over their dominions. With the fall of Seljuk centralized power in Konya, many beys joined forces with the atabegs (former Seljuk leaders), and other religious Muslim leaders, in addition to employing Ghazi warriors from Persia and Turkestan, who also fled the Mongols. The ghazis fought under

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432-821: The Byzantines , the Genoese , the Knights Templar , as well as between each other. By 1300, the Turks had reached the Aegean coastline, held momentarily two centuries before. In the beginning, the most powerful states were the Karamanids and the Germiyanids in the central area. The Beylik of Osmanoğlu , who would later go on to become the Ottoman Empire , was situated in the northwest, around Söğüt , and

468-584: The emir of Malatya . It had been founded ca. 850 by Karbeas , the leader of the Paulicians, a heretical Armenian sect that adhered to a dualistic cosmology . The Paulicians fortified it and used it as refuge and the capital of their state during the ninth century. Later called Tephrike, it was recaptured by the Byzantine Empire during the reign of Emperor Basil I and was temporarily named Leontokome (after Emperor Leo VI ) and made into

504-597: The 14th century, the Ottomans advanced further into Anatolia either through the acquisition of towns or by cementing marriage alliances. Meanwhile, wary of an increase in Ottoman regional power, the Karamanids repeatedly engaged in conflict with the Ottomans with the help of other beyliks, Mamluks , Aq Qoyunlu ("White Sheep Turkomans"), Byzantines , Pontics and Hungarians , failing and losing power every time. By

540-652: The Anatolian mainland, the Anatolian beyliks spread the Turkic language and Islamic culture in Anatolia. Unlike the Seljuks, whose administrative language was Persian , the Anatolian beyliks adopted spoken Turkic as their formal literary language. The Turkish language thus achieved widespread use in these principalities and reached its highest sophistication during the Ottoman era. In spite of their limited sources and

576-509: The Beylik of Osman expanded at Byzantine expense westwards and southwards of the Sea of Marmara in the first decades of the 14th century. With their annexation of the neighboring Beylik of Karasi and their advance into Rumelia starting in 1354, they soon gained strength to emerge as the principal rivals of the Beylik of Karaman , who at the time were thought to be the strongest. Towards the end of

612-648: The Byzantines); uç is a Turkish term that denotes a border or frontier territory equivalent to marches , with the similar term margrave used in other parts of Europe. These clans, led by beys , would receive military and financial support from the Seljuks in return for their fealty. However, Mongol invasions from the East saw a decline in Seljuk power which gradually deteriorated. The Ilkhanate commanders in Anatolia then gained strength and authority which encouraged

648-572: The Magnificent who more or less completely united the present territories of Turkey (and much more) in his 1534 campaign. Many of the former Anatolian beyliks subsequently became the basis for the administrative subdivisions in the Ottoman Empire . In the list below, only the beyliks that were founded immediately after the Battle of Manzikert in 1071, mostly situated towards eastern Anatolia, and who were vassals (or sometimes at war) of

684-483: The Seljuks were still used, however with the influence of the pursuit for new spaces and its reflections in other arts as well. Some representative examples of the Anatolian beyliks' architecture are İlyas Bey Mosque at Balat (Milet) (1404), İsabey Mosque at Selçuk (1375), Ulucami Mosque at Birgi (1312) built by the Aydın beylik. The above mosques, although being successors of Seljuq architecture, differ greatly in

720-606: The centralized power of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum based in Konya are listed. A second group beyliks emerged as a result of the weakening of this central state under the Mongol blow with the Battle of Köse Dağ in 1243, which had the indirect consequence of extending Turkic territory in Western Anatolia toward the end of the 13th century. Combined with the Seljuks and the migration of Turkic tribes into

756-429: The city of Ahlat , known in medieval sources as al-Khilāt. According to inscriptions, the complex was significantly restored multiple times between the 15th and 19th centuries. More restoration work was carried out in the 20th century to counteract material deterioration and structural problems. In 2010 another major restoration process was decided. After several years of preparation, restoration work began in 2015 when

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792-452: The close of the century, the early Ottoman leaders had conquered large parts of land from Karamanids and other less prominent beyliks. These had a short respite when their territories were restored to them after the Ottoman defeat suffered against Tamerlane in 1402 in the Battle of Ankara . But the Ottoman state quickly collected itself under Mehmed I and his son Murad II , who reincorporated most of these beyliks into Ottoman territory in

828-523: The first tender was held. The project halted and then resumed in 2017, but halted again in 2019 for financial reasons, though many stages of the process were already completed by then. A new tender was held in 2021 and in February 2022 work resumed on the last stages of the restoration process. The mosque was reopened to visitors in May 2024 after the project's completion. The building complex consists of

864-571: The increase of decorations in the interior and exterior spaces and the different placement of the courtyards and minarets . Karaman beylik also left noteworthy architectural works, such as Ulucami Mosque in Ermenek (1302), Hatuniye Madrassa in Karaman (1382), Akmedrese Madrassa in Niğde (1409), all of which respect a new style that considers and incorporates the exterior surroundings also. One of

900-536: The inspiration of either a mullah or a general, trying to assert Islamic power, with the attacks on Byzantine territory further expanding the power sphere of the beyliks. As the Byzantine Empire weakened, their cities in Asia Minor became gradually less and less able to resist these attacks, and many Turks began to settle in western parts of Anatolia. As a result, many more beyliks were founded in these newly conquered realms, who engaged in power struggles with

936-668: The mosque gives the date of 626 AH (1228-9) and the name of its patron as Ahmadshāh ibn Sulaymān, who is one of the rulers of the Divriği branch of the Mengujekids. The inscription on the portal of the hospital describes the building as a dār al-shifā' ("house of healing") and ascribes its foundation to Tūrān Malik bint Fakhr al-Dīn Bahramshāh. Fakhr al-Dīn Bahramshāh is the best-known Mengujekid ruler whose reign, in Erzincan, lasted for nearly sixty years until his death in 1225. Although it

972-463: The mosque. Anatolian beyliks Anatolian beyliks ( Turkish : Anadolu beylikleri , Ottoman Turkish : Tavâif-i mülûk , Beylik ; Turkish pronunciation: [bejlic] ) were small principalities (or petty kingdoms ) in Anatolia governed by beys , the first of which were founded at the end of the 11th century. A second and more extensive period of establishment took place as

1008-603: The political climate of their era, art during the Anatolian beyliks flourished, probably forming the basis for Ottoman art . Although the artistic style of the Anatolian beyliks can be considered as representatives of a transition period between Seljuks and Ottomans, new trends were also acquired. Especially wandering traditional crafts artists and architects helped spread these new trends and localized styles to several beyliks across Anatolia, which resulted in innovative and original works particularly in architecture. Wood and stone carving, clay tiles and other similar decorative arts of

1044-522: The royal platform are today on view in the museum of the Directorate of Pious Endowments in Ankara . The hospital is entered through its portal located on the western façade. Different in design from the north portal of the mosque, the hospital portal is framed by a monumental pointed arch and features a window in the center. The stone carving here is of the same quality as the main mosque portal but

1080-615: The same century, after the death of emir İshak, the dynasty was divided into two branches, with one ruling from Divriği while another branch ruled from Erzincan. The Mengujekids were related by marriage to the Seljuks of Konya and acknowledged them as their protectors and allies when the Sultanate of Rum, ruled from Konya , was at the height of its power. The Mengücek rulers were great patrons of arts, science, and literature. Art historian Doğan Kuban argues that this may account for why

1116-479: The stone 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 which omit courtyards. Some of the original wooden furnishings of the mosque survive along its qibla wall, such as the shutters on the window opening to the tomb chamber within the hospital and its wooden minbar dated to 1243 and signed by the craftsman Ibrahīm ibn Ahmad al-Tiflīsī. Some carved wooden panels said to belong to

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1152-400: The thirteenth century, is situated on top of a steep hill overlooking the town. The railway arrived in 1937 and exports ore from iron mines which still supports the economy of the town and national economy . The Great Mosque and hospital is the main draw, and there are some other places which attract tourists. Divriği has a dry-summer continental climate ( Köppen : Dsa ), bordering

1188-467: Was at that stage relatively small and possessed modest military power. Along the Aegean coast , from North to South, were the principalities of Karasi , Saruhan , Aydin , Menteşe , and Teke . The Candar dynasty (later also known as Isfendiyar) reigned in the Black Sea region around the provinces of Kastamonu and Sinop in what was the Beylik of Candar. Under its eponymous founder, Osman I ,

1224-556: Was built in 1228–1229 by the local dynasty of the Mengujekids in the small Anatolian town of Divriği , now in Sivas Province , Turkey . The complex is in the upper town, below the citadel. The exquisite stone carvings and eclectic architecture of the complex places it among the most important works of architecture in Anatolia and led to its inclusion on UNESCO 's World Heritage List in 1985. The city of Divriği

1260-591: Was founded in the 9th century under Byzantine rule, but after the defeat of the Byzantines in the Battle of Manzikert (1071) it was occupied by Turkish tribes who settled the region. In this period the region of Anatolia came to be ruled by numerous competing beyliks ruled by local Turkish dynasties and offshoots of the Seljuk dynasty . In the 12th century, the Mengujekids or Mengücek dynasty controlled Divriği and other nearby cities such as Erzincan . During

1296-445: Was rebuilt at a later date when it was also strengthened by a round buttress on the north-western corner. A third entrance to the mosque is located on the eastern façade. This entrance appears to have served as a royal entrance which 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 which support

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