Cihanoğlu Mosque

Cihanoğlu Mosque, in the Köprülü neighborhood of Aydın, is the centerpiece of an eighteenth-century religious complex built by Müderris Abdülaziz Efendi, a member of the influential Cihanoğlu family that held sway over the Aydın-Koçarlı-Nazilli area at the time. Construction is dated to 1756-57, making the mosque one of the more complete regional examples of Ottoman Baroque architecture from that period. It is built on a nearly square plan, about 9.5 by 9.5 meters, using a mixed technique of rubble stone and brick. Around the mosque stood a complex of associated buildings, including a madrasa, a sebil for distributing water to the public, and a fountain. The structure was used as a storage depot during the First World War and suffered damage under the later Greek occupation of the region. It has since undergone major restorations in 1950, 1967, and 2010, which brought it to its present condition.