Full of excitement, I rushed into Kümbet Mosque, a recommended site to visit while in the city of Kars. It was not until, I was on the way out that I felt great shame. You see, I had forgotten to cover my head with a scarf, and this is always requested of women entering mosques.
To be fair though, a majority of guidebooks do not call it Kümbet Mosque. They call it the Church of 12 Apostles, a name reflecting its history and exterior architecture. When it is constantly referred to as a church, it is easy to pale down its significance as a place of worship dedicated to Islam.
The mosque or church as it is commonly called has a turbulent history being passed from Christianity to Islam, back to Christianity and then being used as a museum before reverting back to a mosque.
If that description has lost your thoughts, here is an easy timeline of its history.
The Timeline of the Kumbet Mosque
It was constructed in 923 AD as a church
Converted into a mosque in 1064 AD, when the Seljuk Empire captured Kars.
From 1878 to 1921, it was converted back into a church when Russians ruled the city
From this date, it lay empty for many years with no purpose
From1969 to 1980, it was used a museum
In 1994, it opened as a mosque and was placed under preservation status.
I think it is safe to assume, that there are no chances of it being used as a church again, however it seems to be better known as that, attracting major interest from tourists. Its small size means that you can observe the whole building within ten minutes but it is the intricate details that are the most interesting.
Why it is also called the 12 apostles church?
There is a simple answer to this question and it is because the stone figures of the apostles are engraved into the dome, permanently set in stone for life
Readers question: If you were in Kars, would you visit the Kümbet Mosque, aka The Church of 12 Apostles?
Actually, I was quite irritated that it had been turned into a mosque, given the size of the mosque right beside it. Discussed it with imam who was very sweet and said that turning into a mosque had meant it could be open. Frankly, I think it would have been enough to provide a custodian. I’m happy for old churches in areas with no mosque to be converted but this seemed quite unnecessary.
I can see your point Pat. Obviously there was no money in the budget to open it up for tourism as a church, and they had to turn it into a mosque to get funding. Sounds like unnecessary red tape to me
Natalie recently wrote about..My Entry Into Capture the Colour
. . in truth, why does it matter? I feel the same about old churches elsewhere, as long as we are able to enjoy the architecture, religion can go fly its kite with the fairies.
Alan recently wrote about..In The Heat Of The Night
I suppose it does not really matter in the grand scheme of things. It is not the typical mosque architecture though, which either makes it rather unique or an oddball, depending on which way you look at it
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Beautiful photos as always Natalie, Kumbet looks fascinating, would love to go and visit. It feels like in the category of Hagia Sophia in Istanbul for me, changed so many hands throughout the history. Shame that it can’t be a museum but I agree with Alan, that now we can visit and enjoy the site, and it’s alive with folks.
If you liked this story Ozlem, then you will the story of the Hagia Sophia in Trabzon as well. THink I will publish that this month so keep watching
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Will look out for the Hagia Sophia in Trabzon – been there over 10 years ago, it would be lovely to refresh the memories : )
Ozlem’s Turkish Table recently wrote about..Delicious and Easy Turkish Delights for Summer – Join us at the Istanbul Culinary Institute for a Turkish Feast
Sounds like you loved as much as I did Ozlem. Magnificent place.
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Looking forward to seeing what you have to say about Trabzon’s Hagia Sofia. Due to Turkey’s history, there are so many church/mosques around. What matters is the history, the art and architecture, not the current religion.
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Will publish as soon as it is ready Inka. Also have a story about two wooden mosques that are interesting because of the colors they are painted in. Until I started looking into the history of this mosque/church, I never quite realised the amount of buildings like this. Find it all fascinating. Out of history, art and architecture, it is the history that attracts me the most
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loving that timeline–perfect summary of history. I’ve learned something new today
- Maria Alexandra
nomadic translator recently wrote about..My student loan debt depression: Desperation, coping and solutions
Glad you liked it NT – it certainly has an impressive history
Natalie recently wrote about..The Tigran Honents Church of Ani