Back
Çifte Minareli Madrasa
The Çifte Minareli Madrasa, one of the most monumental structures of the Seljuk period, is also one of the structures that has suffered the most damage and destruction.
Where?
It is located in Sivas’s city square. Only the main entrance facade of the madrasa has survived to the present day.
How to Get There
The madrasa, located across from the Izzeddin Keykâvus Darüşşifa in Sivas’s city square, is accessible by public transportation or on foot.
According to the inscription on the madrasa’s main entrance, it was commissioned by Ilkhanid Vezir Şemseddin Cüveynî in H.670/M.1271. The facade wall is supported from behind by buttresses. On the main axis of the madrasa’s facade, above the main entrance, stand the twin minarets that give the madrasa its name. The minarets are decorated with brick, glazed brick, and geometric ceramic tiles. The balustrades of the minarets’ balconies, as well as their honeycomb and dome sections, were added later. In the decorations of the main entrance, the double-layered burdur surfaces create a play of light and shadow, lending depth to the entrance. The burdurs, adorned with geometric and floral motifs, feature a variety of palmette and rumi leaves arranged in a non-continuous pattern. The decorations of the main entrance niche include bands of calligraphy, inscriptions, and faux calligraphy. The facade is flanked by two corner towers. The corner towers are adorned with inverted triangles arranged in a staggered pattern above ground level. The candles on the lanterns placed atop the triangles serve as an iconographic reference to the illuminating power of education—symbolizing that a person who reads can enlighten both themselves and those around them.
Key Features of the Site?
Today, only the portal façade of the structure remains. As an Ilkhanid structure, the madrasa’s portal has a monumental appearance reminiscent of the Izzeddin Keykavus Darüşşifa.
