The magnificent building called Divriği Ulu Camii and Daru'ş-şifa in the World Art History was built by lord of Mengücek Feudal Ahmet Şah in 1228. Şifahane (Hospital) was built by Ahmet Şah's wife Melike Turan. Divriği Ulu Camii is also known as Fatma Hatun Camii or Ahmet Şah Camii.
  This building has some differences from the others. For example, the 3D geometric styles and botanic designs were said "unique" by art historians and architects. Designs which embroider on doors and walls are asymmetric and every square have over then a thousand patterns. The foreman had always renovated himself. All the styles were arranged for showing unity of God.
  Divriği Ulu Camii and Daru'ş-şifa has four doors. They are Şifahane Taç Door, North Taç Door, West Taç Door, Şah Mahfili Taç Door. Each of them is different from the other and glorious. Divriği Ulu Camii is a marvellous architecture and engineering example with it's every units.

 

 

Şifahane (Hospital) Taç Door

Şifahane Taç Door has a perfect appearance. There are enormous stars on it. Wonderful niches had embroidered very detailed. There is a window onside of the door and a column is in front of the window. If building is on balance, this column is turning around itself. But it stopped at the earthquake in 1938. According to engineers, the mechanism locked during the earthquake and it is broken.

When you went into from Şifahane Taç Door, you see a pool between to columns. All the columns' patterns are different and they remind us the perfect civilization. People believed that illnesses could be cured here by listening water's voice, music and Kur'an-ı Kerim. It means that they used the system of today's methods of curing in the psychiatry clinics, before 800 years. There are also martyr’s tombs near the pool. According to the stories, The Selçuklu warriors who fall martyr were buried there.

In addition the people who were owners of this building were buried in a room opposite the pool. Ahmet Şah, Melike Turan (Ahmet Şah's wife), Fatma Hatun (Ahmet Şah's mother), Süleyman Şah (Ahmet Şah's father) are resting in this room. Although the damage, their tombs weren’t affected. But the others had pillaged. On the walls this sentence was written: "YA ALLAH". Near these words there are purple and turquoise porcelains.

On the big hall there are so many figures which narrate Creation and Expanding of World; everything is on move, Doom, Promises of God and TEVHİD principle. Concisely we can say the book of the world is embroidered on the stone. The rooms on upper floor are used for doctors and administrations. The doors of these rooms were made short. The aim of this: The person who is coming in, has to bow his/her head to show it's respect to them.

 

 

Great Mosque West Taç Door

This door is different the others cause of it's embroiders with fine hand-works. This door has embroidered with more marvelous details then other doors. Rectangles, squares, triangles and prismatic stones were placed in telescopic styles. Due to this styles and hand-works this door is known as Textile Door.

  Doors had usually embroidered with stonework, but this time stones were put in stones on this door in telescopic styles.

When you see its picture, you will agree with us and understand why this door called Textile Door. This door
 

 

Two Headed Eagle and Falcon

There are two relieves around of West Taç Door. A Two Headed Eagle relief is on the right side, a Hawk relief is on the left side. Two Headed Eagle is the symbol of Selçuklu State, Hawk is the symbol of Mengücek Feudal. Hawk bows its head. This way Ahmet Şah shows his respect to Selçuklu State. One head of Two Headed Eagle looks at West, other head of it looks at East. It symbolizes that Turks dominate West and East. In addition Two Headed Eagle means power, freedom and independence. So it agrees Solu of Turks. There is a base between West Taç Door and North Taç Door. The base was built by Mimar Sinan while Divriği Ulu Camii was being repaired.
 

North Taç Door

This door is known as Castle Door, Public Door or Heaven Door. A stone can not be embroidered better than this. We still don’t know how they made this magnificent and unique building with the technology of past. People who see North Taç Door admire on it. When you examine the different designs, you can see every detail has a meaning. It’s like an art gallery: Sun disc, clouds of leaf, Lifetree designs, crescents, stars, 3D shapes, botanic designs…

There is a column on the side of Main Dorr. So many symbol was drawn and embroidered and they show three ways on the column. The best shape is octagonal star. If you look at right side “Fair Sultan’s happiness and domination continue eternally”. Ayet’el Kursi prayer exist at the opposite of this sentence. So Ahmet Şah aimed to get God’s protection.
 

  Although it is the Main Entrance of the building, it has been closed till 60 years. Now West Taç Door is used for Entrance. When you enter from North Taç Door, there are two depositories.

If the public, which lives there at past, go away, they entrust their important things to this depository. Although the mosque is open for 24 hours in a day but nothing was stolen. And the people could take their things years later.

There are 12 stalactites at the top of the hall and 16 columns opposite of it. We can recognize easily that column’s top and bottom are different. Some of them were repaired by Ottoman Empire. Dome was tried to repair by the time of Republic of Turkey. Although the reformation, the dome which is at the west damaged. Ahmet Şah’s carpets, doors and timber designs were stolen. The door is like a window now. The units of south-east have protected their originality but the units at west were damaged.
 

Mihrap (Niche in a mosque indicating the direction of Mecca)

At the first time, it seems as a simple niche but all of the simplicity is collected on a point. The Mihrap has been done with rock which is stronger. The reason of simplicity is: Design doesn’t call attention. Imam can look at have also simple design. There are two hearts which had put crustily. The point that two hearts touch each other, there is a tulip between them. A crescent placed under the tulip.

According to Ebced, tulip and crescent means God. It means “Every hearts needs God. Every heart can be satisfied by mentioning to God. When you die, you will return to God. All the prayers and prostrations must be for God. God never is interested in humans’ face, clothes or riches. He just looks at your heart.” There is a dome on Minber for acoustic. A lot of carpets from Palace in Egypt were presented by Yavuz Sultan Selim. He brought a globe there. But it’s carried to Sivas Museum because of deep cracks.
 

Hacet (Request) Door
 Hacet Door is made of ebony tree. It is as a wooden-working example at that century. A lot of people wanted to stole it.

 Minber (Pulpit in a mosque)
According to stories; two foremen had made the minber in twelve years. It is made of ebony tree. To embroider the tree you have to put it in earth for years and it must be delayed in water. And it becomes stronger time after time. According to rumours; these trees grow in Africa. There is a lot of minbers which are made of ebony tree but it is unique with its marvellous details, embroidered prayers.
The name of the foreman who had done the minber is Ahmet ( Son of İbrahim ). At the right of minber has written Al-i İmran Prayer by a special Selçuklu hand-writting style named “Hat”. Name of the hattat ( the writter who uses hat style ) is “El Fakir Ahmet Bin Muhammed”.

 
                  A woman and a man figure on Şifahane Taç Door.

 
                  The Sun Symbol                                    Life Tree Motif

 
 The shadow which prays in mosque and reads Kur’an-ı Kerim is making people excited. It appeared on afternoon in last August first.

People noticed this shadow in mosque after 800 years. This amazing work of art is another marvellous architecture example.
 
 Translation: Mehmet Yatkı