Diyarbakır, Turkey
Coordinates: 37.912200, 40.235800
The Great Mosque of Diyarbakır was built by the Great Seljuk Sultan Malik-Shah I over an older mosque, and its shape was inspired by the Great Mosque of Damascus.
It was built in 1091 CE. The design of the mosque is different than the Turkish mosques. This mosque was an identical design of a mosque in Seljuk capital Baghdad
The mosque is considered by some Muslim scholars to be the fifth holiest site in Islam after the Great Mosque of Damascus.
It can accommodate up to 5,000 worshippers and is famous for hosting four different Islamic traditions.
In the most remote times this site was a Christian church dedicated to the Apostle Thomas, who supposedly stayed and preached in Diyarbakir before moving to India, where he was martyred: somebody claims that the first church was built on his initiative, just in the first century of our era.
Starting from the 7th century the building was used both by the Christian and the Muslim faithful for their worship. This cohabitation came to an end in the year 1091 AD, when the Seljuk built the present complex.
History
The design influenced by the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, used the locally found black basalt rock. The mosque suffered extensive damage in a fire in 1155.
The Great Mosque of Diyarbakir is the oldest and one of the most significant mosques in Mesopotamia.
Following the Muslim capture of Diyarbakir in 639 during the reign of the second Hz. Umar رضي الله عنه, a mosque was built, but the building fell into disuse and ruin sometime later.
Completed in 1092, the mosque is similar to and heavily influenced by the Umayyad Great Mosque in Damascus.
Present
Also included in the complex are the Mesudiye Medresesi (1193) and, not connected to the courtyard, the Zinciriye Medresesi (1189).
The center of the courtyard has an Ottoman (1849) shadirvan (ablution fountain) and a platform for praying; both block a clear view through the courtyard.
A shooting ambiance, nice old construction, and a place in the very heart of the old city of Diyarbakir, Great Mosque of Diyarbakır is one of the most beautiful place to see in Diyarbakır
Know This
But please do visit the madrasah inside: they turned it into a language school and centre for translated Islamic masterpieces. The book collection is very big but not yet translated in English.
