Investigation of Periodic Architectural Changes in Mardin Ulu Mosque

known as one of the oldest mosques in Anatolia, is located in the Ulu Cami Neighborhood,which is located in the borders of Artuqid, the central district of Mardin, in the urban protectedarea where the historical texture is dense. According to the inscription in the building, it wasbuilt between 1176-1186. Considering the mosques of the period, it has been determined thatthe second of three different plan schemes created in the classification that can be made wasbuilt with the features. In the second diagram, there is a Harim consisting of transverse navesand a mihrab unit (dome) in the middle of the Harim. There is also a courtyard to the north ofthe sanctuary. As it can be understood from its charter, the mosque, which has two minarets,one in the east and one in the west, is an important work in terms of being an example of theSelatin mosques with double minarets in the Ottoman period, since it is a Sultan’s structure.The city of Mardin, one of the oldest cities of Mesopotamia, which left its mark with differentnames in different periods of history, contains different ethnic, cultural and religious elements.This multinational structure of the city has caused different periodic changes andtransformations to be reflected in the spaces. Within the scope of the study, this situation ishandled through the Mardin Ulu Mosque, and the changes and transformations that haveoccurred in the building from its first construction to the present are discussed through plansand visuals. These changes have been classified periodically by making use of the restitutionand survey projects.As a result of the research, it has been revealed that the mosque underwent different periodicrepairs and additions during the Artuqids and Akkoyunlu period. The building took its presentform in the period when the Ottomans dominated the city by staying as faithful to the originalas possible. The changes made in this period were mostly facade and mass changes that did notlead to a change in the plan in the form of closing the porticoes and repairing the damages.Additions such as the madrasa, fountain, toilet and imam’s room built around the building showthat the mosque is not a structure on its own, but that it has turned into a social complex withthe mosque in the center and surrounded by construction. After all these changes andtransformations, the building continues to exist today and is open to worship and visit.