Wooden Hypostyle Mosques in Türkiye added to UNESCO World Heritage list

By Gozde Bayar

The Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia in Türkiye have been added to the UNESCO World Heritage list, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said Tuesday.

“Serial nomination of the Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List during the Extended 45th Session of the World Heritage Committee, which is being held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, between 10 and 25 September 2023,” it said in a statement.

The serial property comprises five hypostyle mosques built in Anatolia between the late 13th and mid-14th centuries, each of which is in a different region of Türkiye.

The components are the Great Mosque in western Afyon province, the Great Mosque of Sivrihisar in central Eskisehir province, Ahi Serafettin (Aslanhane) Mosque in the nation’s capital of Ankara, Esrefoglu Mosque of Beysehir district in central Konya province and Mahmut Bey Mosque of Kasabakoyu in northern Kastamonu province.

The number of inscribed sites in Türkiye on the World Heritage List has increased to 21, it added.

“The unusual structural system of the mosques combines an exterior building envelope built of masonry with multiple rows of wooden interior columns (‘hypostyle’) that support a flat wooden ceiling and the roof. These mosques are known for the skillful woodcarving and handiwork used in their structures, architectural fittings, and furnishings,” the UNESCO World Heritage Convention said in a statement.