The Divriği Ulu Mosque and Hospital, built in 1228 during the Mengücekli Principality of the Anatolian Seljuks in the Divriği district of Sivas province of Türkiye by Ahmet Shah, the son of Mengücek Shah Süleyman Shah, and his wife Melike Turan Hanım, has hosted more than 150,000 visitors since its opening in May, when its restoration was completed. The structure, which maintains its 10,000 unique ornaments despite the approximately 800 years that have passed, awaits its history-loving visitors.
“The hospital is a delicate structure and you cannot make changes easily. Nothing can be done without the approval of the scientific board. The studies there are currently more about the mystery of the structure. The most important aspect of this mystery is the distribution of sounds. Technically, we do not have much information, but in terms of music and spiritual education, it is a center that has been seen as a treatment center for mental and neurological patients throughout history and also treated all kinds of patients with the sound of water according to their condition. We have put these on our agenda to reopen this place. The water there can now circulate on its own,” said Cemal Karaca, Sivas Foundations Regional Director Cemal Karaca.
Divriği Ulu Mosque and Hospital, also known as the “Alhambra of Anatolia,” is the first work to be protected by UNESCO in Türkiye.
Rahmi Meyveci – Yunus Çiftci