SİVAS HOCA İMAM MOSQUE

Abstract

In this study, the Hoca Imam Mosque, located in the city center of Sivas, will be introduced and evaluated. Hoca Imam Mosque was built in the second quarter of the 14th century, during the Eretna Principality Period. The building, which is one of the earliest mosques built in Sivas, took its name from its founder and over time, the neighborhood where the building was located was also called by the same name. Hoca Imam, the founder of the mosque, is a well-known Sufi. When he died in 1373, he was buried in front of his mosque, which he gave his name, and his tomb was built. The tomb of Hoca Imam has not survived. However, according to the archive document dated 1850, which gives information about the existence of his tomb, it is mentioned that a tombmaster was appointed. Regardless of the type of this tomb, it must be at least 5 m tall. Even when the tomb was built adjacent to the main wall of the mosque, it is understood that the mosque was probably a wooden ceiling structure measuring approximately 10 m. Today, the coffin belonging to Hoca Imam is located in the northwest of the mosque, in the room between the minaret and the northern wall of the sanctuary. The building, which was built as a neighborhood masjid, was repaired in 1817 by Mehmet Emin Ağa, a member of the Dergah-ı Ali, and converted into a mosque by adding a pulpit. The building underwent some repairs in the following years, and in 1953 the sanctuary was expanded to the west, and a last communion place and a minaret were added to its north. The walls that may belong to the first phase of the mosque are the south and east walls, which have been modified and reworked. Plaster and wooden decorations consisting of plant, geometric, object ornamentation and architectural elements were found in the mosque. There are plaster on the mihrab of, wooden decorations on the pulpit, the chair, the ceiling and the door of the mosque. Plaster decorations were made in the printing technique, and wooden decorations were made in the nailing technique. In the plaster decorations of the mihrab of the building, plant motifs such as kenger, flowers coming out of the vase, folded branches as well as candle motifs and architectural forms were used. The candle motif in the mihrab of the building has been accepted as an element representing Allah and Her light and has been lovingly used in mosque altars since the 13th century in Islamic art. The decoration style shows the characteristics of the Westernization Period. This style, which is also encountered in other buildings built in these periods in Sivas, is important in terms of reflecting the taste and understanding of art of the period. Hoca Imam Mosque is one of the important examples of this style in Sivas.