Ancient wooden mosque showcases Turkish craftsmanship

By Mustafa Cavus

ANKARA (AA) - An 800-year-old wooden mosque in northern Turkey is proving that good craftsmanship and skill can stand the test of time.

The Gogceli Mosque in Samsun province’s Carsamba district was assembled without using nails, screws or glue in 1206.

Amazingly, this is no relic or museum. Turkey’s oldest wooden mosque is still in service and serves as a place of worship for 300 people five times every day.

A strong example of Anatolian architecture, the walls were built in such a way that even eight centuries of tremors in earthquake-prone Turkey have failed to damage it.

The mosque’s imam, Ahmet Ozkose, told Anadolu Agency local legend claimed it was built in the time of Giyaseddin Keyhusrev, a Seljuk Turk sultan.

Ozkose says scientists came to visit in the 1990s; they took samples from the wooden walls and proved the building -- now officially registered as a site of cultural heritage in Turkey -- was over eight centuries old.