Mosques with hand-drawn decorations in the villages of Çorum center and Mecitözü districts

This study aims to examine the hand-drawn decorations of mosques located in Çorum center, Mecitözü district and villages affiliated to the district. In this context, firstly, field research was conducted in the villages of Çorum center, in the Mecitözü district of Çorum and the villages of the district. Nine mosques with hand-drawn decorations were identified in the field research. These mosques are: Elvan Çelebi Village Mosque, Doğla Village Mosque, Mecidiyekavak Village Mosque, Üçköy Village Mosque, Alören Village Mosque, Palabıyık Village Mosque, Mislerovacığı Village Mosque, Doğu Mahallesi Mosque, and Güvenli Village Mosque. Among these, Mecidiyekavak Village Mosque, Palabıyık Village Mosque, Mislerovacığı Village Mosque, Doğu Mahallesi Mosque, and Güvenli Village Mosque were examined for the first time in this study. While Elvan Çelebi Village Mosque, Doğla Village Mosque, Alören Village Mosque, and Üçköy Village Mosque have been previously introduced in different publications, they were included in this study to emphasize the importance of hand-drawn decorations in the region, to demonstrate its prevalence, and to expand the repertoire of examples in terms of motifs and compositions. A catalog section was prepared for the mosques identified with hand-painted ornamentation during the fieldwork. Since the primary focus of the study is hand-painted ornamentation, the catalog section provides brief information about the architectural features of the mosques, while the motifs and compositional characteristics of the hand-drawn decorations are described in detail. Drawings and photographs of the mosques are included in the relevant section. The hand-drawn decorations in the structures is observed on the harim walls, ceilings, and the cushion surfaces of supports carrying the women's gallery, applied on plaster and wood. Hand-drawn decorations Five distinct types of decoration were identified: vegetal motifs, geometric motifs, symbolic depictions, architectural depictions, and inscriptions. The motifs depicted in the compositions are frequently seen in Turkish decorative arts.