Sivrihisar Grand Mosque: A Medieval Wooden-Hypostyle Mosque in Türkiye

Site at a Glance

Rating

★4.9

Popularity

Low

Country

Turkey

Primary era

Medieval

External website

Open ↗

Eras represented

Medieval

Civilizations

Ottoman, Seljuk

Site type

Religious

Remains

Mosque

History

Sivrihisar Grand Mosque is an active Sunni mosque in Sivrihisar, Türkiye, built by Leşker Emir Celaleddin Ali in 1231–1232 during the reign of Kayqubad I, the Anatolian Seljuk sultan who ruled from 1220 to 1237. The Anatolian Seljuks were a medieval Turkic dynasty that governed much of Anatolia, and the mosque remains an important example of their architectural heritage.

Seljuk foundation and later restoration

The building was restored in 1275 by Eminüddin Mikail bin Abdullah, regent of Kaykhusraw III. A regent governed on behalf of a ruler who was not exercising authority directly. Sivrihisar’s judge, Hızır Bey, directed another restoration in 1440. He later became the first judge of Istanbul.

The mosque’s minaret was added in 1409–1410 by Osman oğlu Hacı Habib, according to its inscription. Its minbar is traditionally said to have come from Sivrihisar Kılıç Masjid after that building was demolished in 1924, although this attribution remains unconfirmed.

Heritage recognition

Sivrihisar Grand Mosque was placed on UNESCO’s Tentative World Heritage List on 13 April 2016. In 2023, it was inscribed as a cultural property within the UNESCO World Heritage listing titled Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia, associated with criteria (ii) and (iv).

Remains

Plan and exterior

The mosque occupies a ground area of 1,485 square metres and follows a rectangular plan. Ashlar forms the outer walls, and four entrances provide access to the building. Marble inscriptions on the northern and eastern gates preserve the dates of historical restorations. The roof was originally tiled, but a relatively recent intervention replaced the tiles with lead sheets. A single minaret stands with the mosque, bearing the inscription that dates its addition to 1409–1410.

Wooden interior

Columns and roof structure

The interior roof rests on 67 wooden columns, creating the large array of supports characteristic of a wooden hypostyle mosque. This architectural type carries the roof on numerous interior columns. Sivrihisar Grand Mosque is a rare Anatolian example of the technique and one of only five known mosques in Anatolia to use it. Six east–west naves organize the interior, while the central naves rise higher than the others. Their arrangement has been compared with the historic Turkic nomadic tents of Central Asia.

The upper parts of the columns carry carved traditional figures, painted mainly in green, red, and black. Some columns stand on stone bases topped by ancient column capitals, probably brought from Pessinus, the ancient city whose modern name is Ballıhisar, near Sivrihisar.

Minbar

The 1245 minbar was made by Horasanlı İbni Mehmet. This raised pulpit, used for the Friday sermon, is carved from walnut wood with geometric and floral designs and is regarded as a notable example of craftsmanship.