Mosque-hospital of Divrigi

This edifice was built under the Menjugiqids, in a principality governed from 1072 by Menjugekm Ghazi, which was established by the Seljuk Sultan Alp Arslan. It encompasses a large mosque, which also probably served as a madrasa, and a hospital in which one of the rooms probably contained a mausoleum. It is the first complex in Anatolia, the germ of an evolution which would culminate in the Ottoman külliyye of the 16thTopkapi Palace during the second world war. century. Classed a world heritage site by Unesco, the ensemble served as a secret cache for the treasury of the

Like many other Anatolian buildings, Christian and Muslim, the quality of its construction is remarkable. On its façade, there are two portals (north and west) which lead to the mosque. The main portal to the north contains a surprising sequence of varied decorative motifs. There are echoes of Armenian art, in the quality of stonework and the decorative vocabulary. The west entrance presents recurrent motifs from the Seljuk repertoire, such as the double-headed eagle[1], alongside floral arabesques[2] reminiscent of Armenian art. The east entrance, which has been transformed into a window, looks out onto the sultan’s loggia. With its triangular muqarnas niche, it conforms to classic Seljuk architecture[3]. To the west, another portal opens onto the hospital. This portal, set within a broken double arch, is surmounted by a tympanum pierced by a window with a central column. The contrast (reminiscent of stucco work) between sculpted motifs and unadorned areas and the sometimes illogical arrangement of motifs creates a ‘baroque’ effect, present in other Anatolian monuments[4]. The circular medallions decorated with faces possibly represent the Sun and the Moon.

The mosque-madrasa is organised around five naves perpendicular to the wall of the qibla. The large central space is accentuated by two domes: a lobed dome in front of the mihrab, and lantern dome above the middle zone which contains a pool at ground level. Lantern domes, allowing air and light to enter, were particularly popular in Anatolian khans of the thirteenth century [5]. Thick restored pillars support the arches. The vaults, each unique, together with the skill of the stonework are characteristic of Anatolian buildings and recall the virtuosity of Iranian brick architecture[6].

In the northwest corner, a staircase leads to a cylindrical minaret supported by a circular buttress from the Ottoman period[7]. The stone mihrab is sculpted with concave and convex motifs. The minbar in ebony, signed by a Georgian craftsman, presents a geometric, vegetal and epigraphic design characteristic of period[8].

The interior layout of the hospital is influenced by the plans of Anatolian khans and madrasas[9]. The Iranian influence is apparent. Four iwans, of very different sizes, are arranged around a central zone with an octagonal pool surmounted an oculus. The iwans by theentrances are flanked by enclosed rooms, just like the side iwans to the east and west, flanked by a small gallery. The principal iwan to the east, framed by two rooms, is decorated with an imposing motif of a shell on the east wall. The piers with truncated sides are original; the mosque probably contained similar piers. A staircase against the west wall leads to the second floor. A room in the north east corner leading to the mosque contains, according to tradition, the tombs of the founders.

[2] Gospel of Awagvank, High-Armenia, 1201, Erevan, Matenadaran, n°10359, f°11.

[3] Mosque of Khuand Khatun, Kayseri, Anatolia 1237-1238.  

[4] Ince Minareli madrasa, Konya, Anatolia, 1258.

[5] Sultan Han, Anatolia, route from Sivas to Kayseri, 1232-1236.

[6] South dome and north dome of the Great Mosque of Isfahan, Iran, end eleventh century.

[7] See its inscription, dating from the reign of Süleyman the Magnificent.

[8] The vegetal motifs of fleshy demi-flowerets recall the wooden pulpit from the tomb of Jalal al-Din Rumi, Konya, 1279, painted and giltwood, Konya, Mevlana,Museum inv. 332.

[9] Cifte Minareli Madrasa, Erzerum, Turkey, 1253.