Great Mosque of Van

Van Ulu Camii is located within the old city limits of Van, in the province of Van, Turkey. The building is largely ruined. Its inscription has not been reached. Excavations were carried out in the mosque by Oktay Aslanapa between 1970 and 1973. As a result of the architectural analysis of the mosque, it was concluded that the mosque was built during the reign of the Karakoyunlu ruler Kara Yusuf, between 1389 and 1400, although the architectural features support the view that the structure is a Seljuk work. It is accepted that the Great Mosque was built during the time of I. Sökmen (1100‑1112) or II. Sökmen (1128‑1185) of the Ahlatshahs, who dominated the area around Lake Van. Evliya Çelebi visited the mosque in 1655. Photographs from 1913 also show the mosque in a ruined state. As part of the Old Van City Revitalization project launched in 2023, the mosque has been taken under restoration.