Divriği Great Mosque & Hospital: The Portals Nobody Expects

✓ Last reviewed: 29 September 2026 — Verified and updated by İlyas Bayrak, licensed Turkish guide (licence 070867), with the My Turkey Adventure editorial team. Prices, opening hours, transport fares and visa rules reflect the latest 2026 guidance. Quick Answer: The Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital is an unparalleled 13th-century architectural masterpiece in a remote corner of central Turkey, combining a mosque and a hospital under one roof. It is absolutely worth the journey for its four stone portals, which feature such wild, exuberant, and three-dimensional carvings that they look like nothing else in the entire history of Islamic art, earning it a coveted spot on the UNESCO World Heritage list. When planning Friday visits, I explain that historic mosques close completely to tourists for 1.5-2 hours at the midday call to prayer for Friday prayers. I recommend scheduling palaces or cisterns for the Friday morning programme. Before visiting active places of worship such as Hagia Sophia, the Blue Mosque and Suleymaniye, I explain that women must cover their heads, shoulders and knees, while men must wear clothing extending below the knee rather than shorts. I always recommend keeping clean silk/cotton coverings in the vehicle. Fact Detail Location Divriği town, Sivas Province, Türkiye Period / Type 1228-1229 , Mengujekid Beylik / Anatolian Seljuk Architecture What It Is A combined mosque ( Ulu Camii ) and hospital ( Darüşşifa ) complex UNESCO Status World Heritage Site since 1985 Entry Free for the mosque (working place of worship); hospital hours/fee can vary. (Last checked September 2026 ) Typical Visit Length 1.5 to 2 hours Nearest Airport Sivas Nuri Demirağ Airport (VAS) Driving Time from Sivas Approximately 2.5 - 3 hours (170 km) Best Months May-June and September-October for pleasant weather What Is the Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital? Nestled in the rugged, mineral-rich hills of eastern Central Anatolia, the Divriği Ulu Camii ve Darüşşifası is one of the m