Diyarbakır Hoca Ahmed (Ayni Minaret) Mosque restoration recommendation

Tehere is no certain data about the exact date when Diyarbakir province, which was also name das Diyarbekir or Amid, was established. However, during the excavations made in the region of Ic Kale, Amida (Virantepe) Tumulus, the remnants from the Hurris who ruled the region during 3rd millennium B.C. According to the findings held from here, the city centre of Diyarbakir province has been the same place since then. Besides, because it is on the intersection ways of caravans travelling from south to north and east to west, it became an important trade centre in the region. Diyarbakir has been the house many different civilizations and cultures living together since its existence. Religious structures have an important place in the historical city architecture of Diyarbakır. It is possible to see many buildings that were built as places of worship of different faiths within the city. As the main works of religious architecture, the developed mosque and masjid structures served as the places of spreading of the faith of Islam and worshipping take an important place in Diyarbakır. There are 14 mosques and 18 masjids in Diyarbakır Suriçi settlement. After the conquest of Diyarbakir by the Arabs, most of the mosques and masjids in the city were built during the Ottoman period. 9 of the 32 mosques and masjids built in the city and surviving today are Akkoyunlu Period monuments. Hoca Ahmed (Ayni Minare) Mosque, which is the subject of the study, is one of them. The Hoca Ahmed (Ayni Minaret) Mosque is the most characteristic of the plan type among the mosques and masjids built by Akkoyunlu State in the period they were in the administration of the city of Diyarbakır. An important example of monumental religious architecture, the Hoca Ahmed (Ayni Minaret) Mosque is located in the Alipaşa neighborhood of Suriçi, Diyarbakır. The mosque, which is a work of Akkoyunlu Period, is similar to the Early Ottoman Period Tabhaneli (Reverse T Plan) structures. In this study; The conservation and restoration proposal of Diyarbakır Hoca Ahmed (Ayni Minare) Mosque is discussed. The current status of the building was documented with measurements and photographs, and survey drawings were prepared. Damages and changes in the structure over time have been identified and analyzed. Comparative studies have been conducted with similar structures in terms of plan, façade and construction system. After the comparative studies, archival studies and survey drawings for the structure were completed, a four-term restitution analysis was prepared and a restitution project was created. By taking the survey and restitution project prepared into consideration, scientific protection methods and intervention decisions were developed for the protection of the structure and then the restoration project was prepared. As an immovable cultural asset that must be protected, sustainable protection should be provided in the Hoca Ahmed (Ayni Minaret) Mosque. In this respect, as a structure open to the public and providing continuous service, it is aimed that this study will be guiding for the continuation of Hoca Ahmed (Ayni Minaret) Mosque with its original function, preserving it and keeping it alive and also transferring it to future generations.