Yelmaniye Mosque
The
Yelmaniye Mosque is located at the top of a hill in Tepebaşı District, in Çemişgezek District Center. It was built by Emir Taceddin Yelman
for use as an Islamic school (madrasa) during the Timurid period from 1400 to
1407.
The building
is also known as the Madrasa Mosque because it was used a mosque, later on.
There are traces of other structures around the building, which have been
modified and repaired regularly. The foundation that lies in its southern part
implies this mosque would have been found among other buildings.
The main
section in the south is for educating, and the north part contains student
rooms, a soup kitchen and more. The only area that has been preserved with
originality is the crown gate in the form of an iwan on one side of the
mosque's western façade; it was made from carefully cut stone on a sloping
hill. Stone belts with geometrical patterns surround its entrance, which looks
great despite any changes around it.
The
octagonal, geometric columns at the entrance rotate when the door opens. The
space is decorated with a single dome and contains no minaret; however, the
space's mihrab decorating with green tiles sets it apart. The mosque has a
single dome and does not have a minaret, so it is transitional between Seljuk
style and Ottoman style.
