Divriği is a town and a district of Sivas Province

Sivas Province

The Sivas Province is a province of Turkey. It located at the eastern part of the Central Anatolian region of Turkey; it is the second largest province in Turkey. Its adjacent provinces are Yozgat to the west, Kayseri to the southwest, Kahramanmaraş to the south, Malatya to the southeast, Erzincan...

 of Turkey

Turkey

Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...

. The town lies on gentle slope on the south bank of the Çaltısuyu river, a tributary of the Karasu

Karasu

Karasu is a town situated in the western Black Sea coast. It has an overwinter population of around 24,500 which swells substantially in the summer to around 250,000 due to an influx tourists. Its municipal code is 264. Much of its commerce centers around hazelnut farming and tourism...

 river.

During the Byzantine period the town, then called Tephrike or Tephrice , was an important stronghold for the Paulicians. They fortified it and used it as refuge and capital of their semi-independent state during the 9th century. It was captured by the Byzantine Empire during the reign of Emperor Basil I

Basil I

Basil I, called the Macedonian was a Byzantine emperor of probable Armenian descent who reigned from 867 to 886. Born a simple peasant in the Byzantine theme of Macedonia, he rose in the imperial court, and usurped the imperial throne from Emperor Michael III...

 and made into a thema. Around 1071, after the battle of Manzikert

Battle of Manzikert

The Battle of Manzikert , was fought between the Byzantine Empire and Seljuq Turks led by Alp Arslan on August 26, 1071 near Manzikert...

, the area was conquered by the Seljuk Bey

Bey

Bey is a title for chieftain, traditionally applied to the leaders of small tribal groups. Accoding to some sources, the word "Bey" is of Turkish language In historical accounts, many Turkish, other Turkic and Persian leaders are titled Bey, Beg, Bek, Bay, Baig or Beigh. They are all the same word...

 Mengujek Gazi. The medieval (13th century) castle remains still exist on top of a steep hill.

In 1228-29, while Divriği was under the rule of the Mengujekids Emir Ahmed Shah, he commissioned a mosque

Mosque

A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...

 (Divriği Great Mosque - Divriği Ulu Camii in Turkish

Turkish language

Turkish is a language spoken as a native language by over 83 million people worldwide, making it the most commonly spoken of the Turkic languages. Its speakers are located predominantly in Turkey and Northern Cyprus with smaller groups in Iraq, Greece, Bulgaria, the Republic of Macedonia, Kosovo,...

) which stands fully intact. The mosque, along with the adjoining Medical Center (Darüşşifa), built simultaneously with the mosque by Turan Melek Sultan, daughter of the Mengujek ruler of Erzincan

Erzincan

-Trivia:Erzincan has the largest man made of Portrait of Atatürk, located north of the city, 176m×43m. It covers 7,500 square meter. Turkish Army made it 1982, in 29 days by 3,000 soldier, 100 tons of black and white paint was used...

, Fahreddin Behram Shah, are included on UNESCO

UNESCO

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

's World Heritage List by virtue of its exquisite carvings and architecture of both building. It is considered as one of the most important works of architecture of Anatolia

Anatolia

Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...

. The geometrical and floral patterned reliefs found on the main door in particular attract great interest.

Sources