Divriği Mosque Reopens After Nine Years: Don’t Die Without Seeing This Architectural Miracle (But Make Sure You Bring a Pulse!)

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Divriği has opened its historical gates once again, welcoming around 40,000 sightseers since May 6 after a nearly decade-long beauty makeover. You know, the kind of restoration that also required numerous prayer sessions—just in case the ghosts of architects past weren’t quite satisfied with their handiwork.

This 796-year-old gem, often dubbed “Anatolia’s Alhambra” by those temporarily misplaced European scientists, has hit a tourist jackpot thanks to its “significance in faith and historical tourism.” We’re guessing “historical tourism” really means “let’s gawk at all that old stuff while saying ‘wow’” without truly questioning the preservation of new ideas.

Speaking of old stuff, the mosque was designed by a dynamic duo: a husband and wife. Nail Ayan, our local imam-turned-tour-guide, proudly declared this was the only time in history a couple got along enough to build such a masterpiece. Who knew it took 796 years and a UNESCO World Heritage designation to make couples today look like just mediocre IKEA assemblers?

Ayan has a brilliant slogan for the tourists: “Don’t die without seeing it.” Because nothing says “life is fleeting” quite like a monumental structure covered in lace-like decorations. Local tourists clearly took the motto to heart, as a whopping 35,000 out of 40,000 visitors emerged from every nook and cranny of Türkiye with a thirst for history—and Instagram likes.

Notably, the majority of international visitors were from Germany, Japan, Italy, and France—because, of course, who else would come to marvel at the ‘healing section’ where patients presumably listened to gurgling water while pretending their ailments weren’t just the result of life choices?

Meanwhile, local fame-hunters like Zuhal Gözüküçük made the pilgrimage from Ankara and had the nerve to describe the mosque’s lace-like decorations as a “must-see.” Clearly, the lace lobbyists must have had a significant influence on her review.

Ah, Divriği, built in 1228 and practically begging for attention with its architectural flair that keeps historians baffled while making local art critics tremble. As for the intricate decorations of the Darüşşifa’s crown gate? Well, it now boasts the crown jewels of the “spend hours gawking at how beautiful old things are while ignoring an economic crisis” aesthetic.

So, whether you’re here for the history, the photos, or to live out existential dread against a backdrop of centuries-old pandemic mementos, Divriği Great Mosque and Darüşşifası are ready to make that bitter irony just a little bit prettier.