Grand Mosque of Sivrihisar

Sivrihisar Grand Mosque (Turkish: Sivrihisar Ulu Camii) is a historic mosque in Sivrihisar, Turkey.

AffiliationSunni Islam

DistrictSivrihisar

ProvinceEskişehir

RegionCentral Anatolia Region

Quick facts Sivrihisar Grand Mosque, Religion ...

Sivrihisar Grand Mosque
Sivrihisar Ulu Camii
Location within Turkey
Religion
Affiliation	Sunni Islam
District	Sivrihisar
Province	Eskişehir
Region	Central Anatolia Region
Status	active
Location
Coordinates	39°27′03″N 31°32′14″E
Architecture
Type	Mosque
Style	Seljuk architecture
Completed	1232; 794 years ago (1232)
Specifications
Minaret	1
Materials	ashlar, wood
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Type	Cultural
Criteria	ii, iv
Designated	2023
Parent listing	Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia
Reference no.	1694-003

Close

The mosque is located in Sivrihisar ilçe (district) of Eskişehir Province. It was built by Leşker Emir Celaleddin Ali in 1231–1232 during the reign of Anatolian Seljuk Sultan Kayqubad I (r. 1220–1237). It later underwent two restorations, in 1275 by Eminüddin Mikail bin Abdullah, the regent of Kaykhusraw III (r. 1265–1284), and in 1440 by Hızır Bey, a judge in Sivrihisar and later the first judge in Istanbul.^[1] The mosque is one of only five examples of wooden-columned architectural technique in Anatolia.^[2][3]

The ground area of the mosque is 1,485 m² (15,980 sq ft).^[1] It has a rectangular plan. The outer walls are of ashlar. It has four entrances.^[2] Marble inscriptions showing the historical restoration dates are found on the northern and eastern gates.^[3] The roof is covered by tiles, which were replaced by lead sheet not long ago.^[3] The roof is carried by 67 wooden columns,^[2][1] of which upper parts are decorated by, mostly in green, red and black colors, engravings of traditional figures. Some columns stand on stone base having ancient column head. It is likely that the stone columns heads originate from Pessinus, an ancient city known as Ballıhisar today close to Sivrihisar. There are six naves in east-west direction. The middle naves are higher than the others resembling the historic Turkic tents used in the nomadic era in Central Asia. The mosque's minbar, the pulpit, is a masterwork made by Horasanlı İbni Mehmet in 1245, and is famous for its ornaments in geometrical and floral design engraved in walnut wood.^[2][1] It is believed that the minbar was brought here from the Sivrihisar Kılıç Masjid, which was demolished in 1924.^[3] The minaret was added by Osman oğlu Hacı Habib in 1409–1410 according to its inscription.^[1][3]