Somuncu Baba Külliyesi

Southeastern Anatolia


Drawing large numbers of Turkish visitors, this külliye (mosque complex) sits at the entrance to the Tohma Canyon and contains the tomb of Sheikh Hamidi Veli, a 14th-century Muslim teacher and ascetic better known as Somuncu Baba. The tomb itself is in a 17th-century mosque set right against a cliff face, with a sacred fishpond and single minaret in front of it. To one side is a large modern mosque with an unusual wooden ceiling of recessed stars within stars.

Below the mosque complex is a small one-room museum with some exhibits on traditional Darende life.


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