Menucihr Mosque, also Manučehr Mosque (

Kurdish Kurdish may refer to: *Kurds or Kurdish people *Kurdish language ** Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji) **Central Kurdish (Sorani) **Southern Kurdish ** Laki Kurdish *Kurdish alphabets *Kurdistan, the land of the Kurdish people which includes: **Southern ...

: ''Mizgefta Menûçêhr'') is a

mosque A mosque ( ), also called a masjid ( ), is a place of worship for Muslims. The term usually refers to a covered building, but can be any place where Salah, Islamic prayers are performed; such as an outdoor courtyard. Originally, mosques were si ...

in the medieval city of Ani in

Kars Province Kars Province (; Azerbaijani: Qars Rayonu; ; ) is a province of Turkey, located in the northeastern part of the country. It shares part of its closed border with Armenia. Its area is 10,193 km2, and its population is 274,829 (2022). The pr ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. It was built between 1072 and 1086 by

Manuchihr ibn Shavur Manuchihr ibn Shavur was a Shaddadid emir of Ani from 1072 to 1118, the first of the dynasty to rule this key city, formerly an Armenian royal capital. Manuchihr b. Shavur began his rule under the suzerainty of the Seljuk sultan Melikşah. ...

of the

Shaddadid dynasty. The restoration of the mosque started in June 2020.

Style

The style of the vault is considered as similar to that of the gavit or ''zhamatun'' of the

Church of the Holy Apostles The Church of the Holy Apostles (, ''Agioi Apostoloi''; ), also known as the Imperial Polyandrion (imperial cemetery), was a Byzantine Eastern Orthodox church in Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. The first structure dated to ...

at Ani (built before 1217), suggesting broadly similar dates and circumstances.

Inscriptions

kufic The Kufic script () is a style of Arabic script, that gained prominence early on as a preferred script for Quran transcription and architectural decoration, and it has since become a reference and an archetype for a number of other Arabic scripts ...

inscription in a long band on its left façade related to the foundation of the mosque by

, under the government of Seljuk Sultan

Malik-Shah I Malik-Shah I (, ) was the third sultan of the Seljuk Empire from 1072 to 1092, under whom the sultanate reached the zenith of its power and influence. During his youth, he spent his time participating in the campaigns of his father Alp Arslan, ...

: A small trilingual inscription in the bottom left corner reads: On top of it are a large Mongol

Ilkhanid The Ilkhanate or Il-khanate was a Mongol khanate founded in the southwestern territories of the Mongol Empire. It was ruled by the Il-Khans or Ilkhanids (), and known to the Mongols as ''Hülegü Ulus'' (). The Ilkhanid realm was officially known ...

yarligh A jarlig, also written ''yarlyk'' (from ), is an edict, permission, license, or written commandant of Mongol and Chinggisid rulers' "formal diplomas." It was one of three non-fundamental law pronouncements that had the effect of regulation or ord ...

'' inscription of 1319, a taxation edict. File:Menucihr Mosque, inside, 1881.jpg, Menucihr Mosque, plan, 1881. File:Menucihr Mosque, outside, 1881.jpg, Menucihr Mosque, outside, 1881. File:Menucihr Mosque, plan, 1881.jpg, Menucihr Mosque, plan, 1881. File:The tri-lingual inscription on the mosque of Mīnuchīhr.jpg, Trilingual inscription File:Interior of Menûçihr Mosque 2.jpg, Column top with ''

muqarnas Muqarnas (), also known in Iberian architecture as Mocárabe (from ), is a form of three-dimensional decoration in Islamic architecture in which rows or tiers of niche-like elements are projected over others below. It is an archetypal form of I ...

'' design File:Ani Mosque of Manuchihr ceiling with muqarnas.jpg, Ceiling with ''

'' design, 1072-1086 File:Ani Mosque of Manuchihr ceiling 3597.jpg, Ceiling decoration File:Interior of Menûçihr Mosque 1.jpg, Ceiling decoration

References

{{Authority control Buildings and structures completed in 1086 Religious buildings and structures completed in the 1080s Shaddadids Buildings and structures in Kars Province 11th-century mosques Seljuk mosques in Turkey Mosque buildings with minarets in Turkey

Style

Inscriptions

See also

References