The story of Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital

When the afternoon sun falls on the entrance of this mosque, the shadows form the silhouette of a standing man seen from the side, with a rectangle-like shadow in front of him; people believe it is a man reading the Quran and praying. The mosque was built in 1228–29 by the Mengücekli ruler Ahmed Şah, and at the same time his wife Turan Melek had the hospital, the darüşşifa, built against its southern wall, by an architect named Hürrem Şah of Ahlat.

Compare the three portals: none share a style, and their exuberant, baroque carvings include the double-headed eagle. Look for the ebony minbar, and in the hospital, the pool whose overflow circles it in a square channel.

In 1985 it became the first architectural work from Turkey on the UNESCO World Heritage list. Evliya Çelebi wrote that in praising it, tongues fall short and the pen breaks.