GÖGCELI MOSQUE, Samsun, Turkey

Göğceli Mosque. Located near the town of Çarşamba, around 40kms east of Samsun, in the middle the huge Muslim Tea Göğcel graveyard, this is easily the most unusual mosque I have ever been to.

The oldest wooden mosque in Turkey, it is a masterpiece of wood construction and one of the most significant samples of Turkish wooden architecture. Still in use after 800 years, without the help of a single nail, it is more popularly known as “Nailless Mosque,” because of its unusual building technique. Analysis of the mosque’s wooden timbers shows that they date back to 1206, less than 100 years after Seljuk Turks routed the Byzantines at the Battle of Manzikert and began settling in Anatolia. There is no record of the date of construction but according to radiocarbon tests, the mosque was built in 1206 and the porch in front in 1335. Several kinds of trees were used – elm, ash, and chestnut. The planks are approximately 15-18 cm thick, 50-70 cm wide and approximately 12-20m. long. No nails were used in the structure except some wrought iron nails to connect the column heads to the beams and in the annexes. There is a large entrance and then the mosque itself with the roof supported by 6 wood columns and a system of beams.

The interior ceiling decorations of the building date from the early Ottoman period and are classical motifs and composition patterns still quite bright.
The mihrab is a simple wood projection. The minbar is made of huge planks with a carved decorative railing. With only a few tiny square windows, it is quite dim inside.

The base of the building was raised by 60-70 cm from the ground using logs placed on big stones. A covered porch surrounds three sides. With no minaret or dome, it is completely portable.  The building underwent a comprehensive restoration in 2007 and still serves as a temple today. I was alone.