ANOTHER PIECE OF GOOD NEWS FROM UNESCO! ANATOLIA'S WOODEN-SUPPORTED MOSQUES ARE NOW "WORLD HERITAGE"

After the announcement from the Minister of Culture and Tourism, Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, on social media about the designation of Gordion Ancient City as a World Heritage site and the anticipation of another piece of good news, today another piece of good news arrived from Riyadh.

Wooden-columned and beamed mosques, carrying the architectural style of the Turks from Central Asia to the Khorasan region, from the Middle Ages to the present, are now included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

At the 45th UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting held in the capital city of Saudi Arabia, Riyadh, wooden-supported mosques from various cities in Türkiye have been included in the World Heritage List.

Minister of Culture and Tourism Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, in his social media post following the decision of the World Heritage Committee, stated, 'One more piece of good news! We have registered our cultural assets for the first time in a series on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Following Gordion, the wooden-columned and beamed mosques spanning from the Middle Ages to the present in Anatolia have also become World Heritage. Thus, we have increased the number of our cultural assets on the list to 21. Congratulations.’

Türkiye’s First Serial Nomination

The historical mosques communicated to UNESCO by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism under the name 'Wooden-Columned and Beamed Mosques of Anatolia from the Middle Ages,' were accepted during today's committee meeting. These historical mosques have also become Türkiye's first serial cultural assets on the World Heritage List.

Beyşehir Eşrefoğlu Mosque in Konya, Sivrihisar Ulu Mosque in Eskişehir, Mahmut Bey Mosque in Kasaba Village, Kastamonu, and Ahî Şerafeddin (Arslanhane) Mosque in Ankara, along with Ulu Mosque in Afyonkarahisar, were declared 'World Heritage' at the 45th UNESCO World Heritage Committee meeting.

They Reflect an Extraordinary Aesthetic Understanding to the Present Day

These structures, reflecting early examples of wooden-supported mosques in Anatolia from the Middle Ages to the present, share common characteristics despite being located in different cities.

The historical structures, well-preserved from the Middle Ages to the present, also reflect the Anatolian way of life.

These mosques, representing the monumental wooden mosque typology with a hypostyle plan and considered among the most important in Anatolia of their time, stand out with examples of the art of wood carving they possess.

With meticulous woodwork seen in their doors, minbars, column capitals, ceiling beams, and brackets, along with wooden pulpits crafted in the marquetry technique where artisans' names are recorded, and embellishments known as 'Kalem İşi,' these historical mosques showcase extraordinary carpentry skills and aesthetic understanding.