Parli Safa Mosque

Safa Mosque, also known as Parlı Mosque, is a historic mosque located in the Sur district of Diyarbakır. It is also referred to by the names Şeyh Safâ, İpariye, İparla, Palo.

History

Although the exact construction date and builder are not known, it is accepted that it was commissioned by Uzun Hasan (1454-1478) at the request of Cüneyd-i Safevî, son of Şeyh İbrâhim Safî, who was the grandfather of Shah Ismail. It is estimated to have been built during the Akkoyunlu period, but its renovation dates (1531-1532) give it an Ottoman architectural character. Evliya Çelebi refers to this structure as "İpariye" and notes that its walls smelled of musk in rainy weather.

Architecture

It is a rectangular mosque with an octagonal drum on each side, a single central dome, and a longitudinal plan, with two pillars on the sides and an eight-sided drum attached to the main prayer hall wall on the north and south. The prayer hall space is expanded by three three‑sectioned niches covered with a cradle vault, each with a small dome on the corners on both sides and a central cradle vault. This part receives light from twenty‑four windows: three windows opened on each of the two side walls, two windows near the corners of the mihrab wall, windows symmetrically placed on the entrance wall, a small window above the door, and four drum windows, making the interior very bright. Both sides have columned arches and a mihrab made of stone with ten rows of muqarnas niches within a three‑segment arch. The stone minbar features geometric and vegetal decorations. Inside the mosque, four stone columns support the dome, and the stone bases are angled outward at 45 degrees to transition to the sides. The main dome rests on the body walls on the north and south. The minaret is located at the northeast corner of the mosque. The minaret base has a square plan and is built of black stone.