Investigation of Periodic Architectural Changes in Mardin Ulu Mosque

Abstract

Mardin Grand Mosque, which was built in the 12th century during the Artuqid period and known as one of the oldest mosques in Anatolia, is located in the Ulu Cami Neighborhood, which is located in the borders of Artuqid, the central district of Mardin, in the urban protected area where the historical texture is dense. According to the inscription in the building, it was built between 1176-1186. Considering the mosques of the period, it has been determined that the second of three different plan schemes created in the classification that can be made was built with the features. In the second diagram, there is a Harim consisting of transverse naves and a mihrab unit (dome) in the middle of the Harim. There is also a courtyard to the north of the sanctuary. As it can be understood from its charter, the mosque, which has two minarets, one in the east and one in the west, is an important work in terms of being an example of the Selatin mosques with double minarets in the Ottoman period, since it is a Sultan's structure. 

The city of Mardin, one of the oldest cities of Mesopotamia, which left its mark with different names in different periods of history, contains different ethnic, cultural and religious elements. This multinational structure of the city has caused different periodic changes and transformations to be reflected in the spaces. Within the scope of the study, this situation is handled through the Mardin Ulu Mosque, and the changes and transformations that have occurred in the building from its first construction to the present are discussed through plans and visuals. These changes have been classified periodically by making use of the restitution and survey projects.

As a result of the research, it has been revealed that the mosque underwent different periodic repairs and additions during the Artuqids and Akkoyunlu period. The building took its present form in the period when the Ottomans dominated the city by staying as faithful to the original as possible. The changes made in this period were mostly facade and mass changes that did not lead to a change in the plan in the form of closing the porticoes and repairing the damages. Additions such as the madrasa, fountain, toilet and imam's room built around the building show that the mosque is not a structure on its own, but that it has turned into a social complex with the mosque in the center and surrounded by construction. After all these changes and transformations, the building continues to exist today and is open to worship and visit.