From Masjid to Mosque: A Study on the Spatial Change of Çorum İnayetullah Mosque in Its Historical Process

Serap SEVGİ; Mesut YILMAZ

Authors

Serap SEVGİ (Associate. Prof. Dr.) Karabuk University/Türkiye Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3049-5908
Mesut YILMAZ (Restorer-Architect-Art Historian) Ankara/Türkiye Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7143-4349

Keywords:

Cultural heritage, Çorum, Çorum mosques and masjids, İnayetullah Mosque, restitution.

Abstract

During the Ottoman period, religious structures where sermons were not read and where daily prayers were performed without a pulpit or sometimes a minaret were considered masjids, while structures where sermons were read and Friday and holiday prayers were performed with a pulpit and minaret were considered as mosques. Conversion from a masjid to a mosque was subject to the permission of the Sultan. This practice was implemented primarily in residential areas where there was no mosque for Friday prayers. Due to the many natural disasters and urban developments that Çorum experienced in its rich historical past, its urban spatial planning developed and changed in parallel. Many mosques in the center of Çorum were severely damaged, especially in the 18th and 19th centuries. Due to the increasing population migration from the Caucasus and Rumelia in the 20th century, masjids were expanded and converted into mosques. Similarly, similar practices were applied in converting these masjids, which were built by local masters in the 19th and 20th centuries and are classified as “longitudinally rectangular single-nave and wooden ceiling mosques” into mosques. This study examined the transformation of the İnayetullah Mosque, which was registered as a cultural asset to be protected in 2020, from a masjid to a mosque and the changes it has undergone until today. It aims to contribute to the field of architectural history with a retrospective perspective by putting forward propositions regarding the construction date of the building.

Author Biography

Serap SEVGİ, (Associate. Prof. Dr.) Karabuk University/Türkiye

After graduating from the Faculty of Engineering and Architecture at Selçuk University in 1996, she completed her master's degree in architecture specializing in building conservation at Selçuk University in 1999 and in restoration at Gazi University in 2012. In 2020, she obtained her doctoral degree in Cultural Heritage Preservation from the Department of Cultural Heritage Conservation at Gazi University. Her professional career began at the General Directorate of Foundations in 1996, continuing until 2023 at the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums. She has been involved in the management of technical and administrative processes in the restoration of various foundation works such as mosques and tombs, as well as heritage sites including Ani, Hasankeyf, Ephesus, and the Church of Saint Nicholas. She has also conducted technical and cultural diplomacy-based efforts aimed at the preservation of shared cultural heritage beyond national borders. She has been working as a faculty member at Karabük University as an Assistant Professor since 2023 and, she has been engaged in academic pursuits focusing on historical environments, archaeological sites, world heritage sites, and architectural restoration.