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Islamic architectural heritage left behind by the various Islamic dynasties that ruled eastern Turkey. After The 11th century many remain. Consisting of mosques, caravansarais, tombs, bridges, palaces, madrasa, cemeteries and fortifications. Many of them are now ruined some of them are being restored.

Buildings

Mosques

Grand mosques were built in the larger towns. In Sivas, Diyarbakir, Erzurum, Bayburt, Mardin, Urfa, Bitlis. There were many small mosques build in smaller settlements. The early architecture follows the Arab style, later Seljuk and finally the Ottoman style predominates.

Caravansary

Caravansarais were fortified structures where travellers and traders could rest in safety. They were built along the major paths of communication. Most of them have disappeared others are in ruins. The ones in Malatya and Tercan have been restored.

Tombs

The members of the royal families, important persons and religious personalities build decorated tombs for themselves. Such towns as Sivas, Erzurum, Bayburt, Ahlat, Divrigi, Some tombs were built next to the building they founded as for example in Sivas and Erzurum. Other people had decorated tombstones such as in Ahlat.

Bridges

Bridges were built over rivers to cross them more easily, many of them are ruins. Some were very large structures such as in Hasankeyf.

Hospitals

In some large towns buildings were build to house the sick and cure them. Few of them survive. Most notable are the ones in Divrigi and Sivas.

Madrasa

Madrasa were build to study and spread the islamic religion. First of them build duing the Seljuk era. Such as in Sivas, Erzurum, Some had two minarets on their front portal. Many of them are ruined and the survivng ones are not in use anymore.

Fortifications

The rulers build and fortified the town walls and castles they occupied, sometimes adding inscriptions. The walls of Diyarbakir were rebuilt by the Artukids and decorated with inscriptions in Kufi Arabic. The Ottoman rebuild the citadel of Hasankale and Kars in the 16th century. In the 19th century forts and trenches were built outside some major towns such as in Kars, Ardahan and Erzurum.

Styles and Materials

Plan of the Great Mosque in Divrigi

The oldest standing buildings were in the Arabic style and incorporate columns from ancient civilizations. The medieval ones are more similar in plan to structures of the Iranian highland. Decorations consisted of Arabesque ornaments carved in stone or in tiles. The last stage in which the Otttomans ruled saw the spread of domed buildings with pencil minarets. The building materials used throughout the ages was mostly stone and some brick.

Plagues

Plagues in Istanbul: 1466-1470-1511-1526-1561-1584-1586-1590-1592-1599-1625-1637-1648-1653-1673-1765-1792-1812-1837-1845/7-1865