UNESCO has included five wooden-roofed mosques with unique architectural features from medieval Anatolia in Turkey in the World Heritage List. The country’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has announced this on Tuesday.
The ministry stated in a press release that during the ongoing 45th session of the World Heritage Committee in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, these mosques were added to the list of world heritage sites.
These mosques were constructed in Anatolia between the late 13th and mid-14th centuries and are scattered across various regions of Turkey.
The UNESCO-approved mosques are: the Great Mosque in the western Afyonkarahisar region, the Great Mosque in the Sivrihisar region, the Ahî Şerafettin (Aslanhane) Mosque in the capital Ankara, the Esrefoglu Mosque in the central Konya region, and the Mahmud Bey Mosque in the northern Kastamonu region.
With this, Turkey now has 21 sites listed on the World Heritage List.
According to UNESCO, these mosques were built in a unique architectural style characterized by independent construction techniques not commonly seen. The exterior of the mosques is adorned with stone carving, while inside, wooden columns (hypostyle or piers) support flat wooden roofs, strengthening the upper part of the wooden structures. The meticulous woodwork, craftsmanship, and exquisite architectural style make these mosques well-known for their exceptional beauty and craftsmanship.
