Diyarbakır Ulu Camii

Like most monuments in the city of Diyarbakır (formerly called Âmid), the Great Mosque was constructed predominantly from local volcanic basalt. This dark-colored stone was used to such an extent throughout the old town that the city was occasionally referred to as “Kara [black] Âmid” until the end of the 16^th century.

The mosque and its annexes are organized around a spacious, trapezoidal courtyard that measures 31.5 x 77 m (see the panorama). There are three entrances to this courtyard. The main entrance, taking the form of a low barrel vault, lies to the east. Its exterior facade bears an inscription, the second line of which is flanked by two mirror-image reliefs of a bull attacked by a lion. The inscription, as well as the remarkable animal-combat decoration, dates to the 12^th century.

The main prayer hall, dated to 1091/92 and 1155 by the inscriptions on its northern facade, is located to the south of the courtyard. It consists of three aisles intercepted by a transept aligned with the axis of the mihrab. Its form is therefore similar to that of the Great Mosque of Damascus, though it should be noted that the latter mosque is domed.1 The interior is dominated by arcades with pointed arches; it is lit mainly by the large window bays of the north wall, together with the clerestory windows of the transept and the smaller openings on the south wall (see the panorama). The structure's wall surfaces, once whitewashed,2 are now exposed, revealing the beautifully cut black basalt masonry throughout.

The mihrab, the present form of which was constructed in the 18^th century, has a pentagonal niche, a rectangular carved frame, and a five-lobed arch springing from columns with Corinthian capitals. At the level of the capitals, there is a band with an inscription in gold on a dark background; this band separates the gleaming white surfaces of the muqarnas above it from the unplastered masonry of the lower niche. The ceiling of the transept is covered with wooden panels (18^th century) bearing delicately painted geometric and floral motifs, as well as some sumptuous muqarnas work. The ceiling of the müezzin mahfili is likewise decorated.

In contrast to the modest northern facade of the main prayer hall, which is dominated by the gabled transept, the western and eastern wings present elaborately arranged structural and decorative features. The construction of the western wing is dated to 1117–18 (lower section) and 1124–25 (upper section), as indicated by two separate bands of Kufic inscriptions running across the facade.3 The entirety of the sculpted decoration, including the columns with Corinthian capitals and the entire entablature, was reused from a late antique building of the 6^th or 7^th century AD; the building in question may have been the church that occupied this area before the founding of the mosque.4 Of special note are the columns of the upper story, which have spectacularly carved shafts. The eastern facade was constructed around a half a century later (1163–64), as noted in the inscription on its lower story, and likewise adopts reused columns with Corinthian capitals. The rest of the decoration, however, is a 12^th century imitation, or rather interpretation, of the western facade. Whether this should be interpreted as the “survival” of classical forms or a 12^th century “revival” thereof is a matter of debate.5 The decoration of this facade also includes high-relief heads of bulls and lions, which protrude from the architrave above the portal columns (there are apparent traces of these heads above the upper story's columns as well).

Two further buildings occupy the northern side of the aforementioned trapezoidal courtyard: Mesudiye Medresesi to the east and the Shafi’i prayer hall to the west. The former was built between 1198 and 1223 and is organized around a porticoed, two-storied courtyard with an iwan covering the eastern side. The remaining sides of the building's courtyard present an interplay of sculptural and structural decoration. For example, the western arches display delicately carved vegetal motifs and alternating black (basalt) and white (limestone) masonry. A band with an inscription wraps around the courtyard between the two stories, extending to the inside of the iwan. At the center of the south wall is an ornate mihrab, featuring alternating basalt/limestone blocks in its five lobes and below this, engaged basalt columns with carved capitals and bases.

The Shafi’i prayer hall was constructed in 1528/29, about 13 years after the Ottoman conquest, as the inscription on its facade attests. The building's three-aisled interior, as well as its mihrab, is similar to that of the main prayer hall; here the pointed arches are supported by plain, slender columns (see the panorama). The ceiling, with its exposed wooden beams, is undecorated.

The mosque's minaret, constructed in the mid-12^th century, is situated by the south wall of the main prayer hall. A Kufic inscription encircles the tower, the square form of which follows the local architectural tradition.

The trapezoidal courtyard is further occupied by the ablutions fountain (şadırvan), namazgah, and pool, all of which were constructed in the 19^th century.

• 1. See  Akok 1969, 114; Aslanapa 1973, 1. Whether Diyarbakır Ulu Cami had a dome at some point in its long history is a matter of debate. For a discussion, see Sözen 1971, 34; Andersen 2004, 136ff.
• 2. See Sözen 1971, plate 12, 6h; Tuncer 1996, p. 42; Top 2011, p. 201, fig. 25.
• 3. At the time of MMM's on-site documentation, the western wing was under restoration. Recent photos of the facade can be found in Top 2011.
• 4. A Roman theater has also been suggested (Aslanapa 1973, 1).
• 5. For the main points of discussion, see Rogers 1971; Mango 1982; Allen 1986; Raby 2004.