|
SIVAS
Sivas, an important commercial center stood, during
the Middle Ages, at the junction of the caravan routes
to Persia and Baghdad. Between 11 42 and 11 71 it was
the capital of the Danigmend Emirs and a vitally
important urban center during Seljuk rule. The
remaining architectural monuments reflect Sivas's
former prominent position. The Ulu Mosque dates from
the Danismend Emirate but the Seljuk buildings: the
13th century Izzeddin Keykavus Sifahanesi - a hospital
and a medical school – the beautifully decorated Gök
Medrese, the twin minarets of the Cifte Minare Medrese
as well as the Buruciye Medrese all testify to the
exciting aesthetic of the Seljuk period. In 1919, the
decision to liberate Turkey from the occupying foreign
powers was made by the National Congress which had
convened in Sivas. Today the 19th century building
where the congress was held has been restored as the
Ataturk and Congress Museum, with a display about the
War of Independence as well as an ethnographical
exhibit. In town there are excellent Sivas carpets for
sale; the city has long had a reputation for fine
weaving. Kangal, 68 km south of Sivas, is the home of
Turkey's most famous breed of dog - the Kangal.
Used
as sheep dogs, these golden haired animals have also
proven themselves in police and security work. Twelve
kilometers northeast of Kangal is the famous spa,
Balikli Kaplica, where scores of tiny fish swim in
hot spring waters and aid, it is said, in the cure of
skin complaints. Once a Byzantine outpost, Divrigi
became the capital of the Turkish Mengucek Emirs in
the 12th and 13th centuries. Although very much off
the beaten track, visitors come to Divrigi to see the
Ulu Mosque and Medrese of 1229. Seljuk stonework
reached its most exuberant in the animal and vegetal
carvings of the portals. UNESCO declared this site one
of the world's most important cultural heritages.
Founded in ancient times Kirsehir became, in the
Middle Ages, the center of the Ahi Brotherhood, a
Moslem sect whose moral and social ideals played an
important role in the spiritual and political life of
Anatolian towns. Among Kirsehir's many fine Seljuk
buildings are the Cacabey Mosque of 1272 (a former
astrological observatory), the Alaeddin Mosque of
1230, and the Ahi Evran Mosque beside which is the
tomb of the founder of the Ahi sect. Out of town, on
the road toward Kayseri, is the attractive Asik Pasa
Mausoleum which was built during the period of Mongol
rule, in 1333.
|
