Kongre Binası

Erzurum


If you're waiting for an Artvin or Yusufeli bus, it's worth nipping across the road to this elegant if very heavily restored 1864 mansion, home to an art gallery and, more historically significant, the room where the 1919 Congress of Erzurum set out a plan to defend Turkey from possible dismemberment post WWI.

It's 1.4km northeast of the centre, reached by buses G9 or K3.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Erzurum attractions

1. Erzurum Kalesi

0.5 MILES

Though it's raised just a few metres above the surrounding city centre, Erzurum's castle site nonetheless offers panoramic views of the mountains and…

2. Caferiye Camii

0.61 MILES

This 1645 stone mosque is distinctive for the triple-stepped appearance of is low-slung central dome.

3. Ulu Cami

0.61 MILES

This restrained but elegant mosque was built in 1179 by Erzurum's Saltuk Turkish emir. Seven aisles run north–south and six run east–west, resulting in a…

4. Lala Paşa Camii

0.64 MILES

Erzurum's first Ottoman-era mosque was built in 1562 by Lala Mustafa Paşa, general and grand vizier under Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. Its plan is the…

5. Çifte Minareli Medrese

0.64 MILES

Erzurum's most iconic medieval landmark features twin fluted minarets with detailing in blue glaze on brick. There's a beautifully carved main portal and…

6. Yakutiye Medresesi

0.65 MILES

Dominating Erzurum's central park, this handsome 1310 medrese (seminary) building features a minaret whose superb mosaic tile work wouldn't look out of…

7. Üç Kümbetler

0.75 MILES

The name means 'three mausoleums' though in fact there are four, or five if you count another some way south across the park. The biggest is believed by…