Having been shuttered for years, the Gök Medrese was nearing the end of an extensive restoration project on our last visit. Built in 1271 at the behest of Sahib-i Ata, the grand vizier or Sultan Giyasettin Keyhüsrev III, its exuberantly decorated marble portal, twin blue-tile and red-brick minarets (which were still covered in scaffolding while we were in town) and carved circular corner buttresses are a fabulous example of Seljuk-era architecture.
Gök Medrese
Central Anatolia
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.28 MILES
Dating to 1218, this was one of the most important medical schools built by the Seljuks and was once Anatolia's foremost hospital.
0.29 MILES
Commissioned by the Mongol-İlkhanid vizier Şemsettin Güveyni after defeating the Seljuks at the battle of Kosedağ, the Çifte Minare Medrese (1271) has a…
0.31 MILES
The Bürüciye Medresesi's monumental Seljuk gateway is a fitting entry to this medrese (seminary), built to teach 'positive sciences' in 1271. Inside, in a…
0.16 MILES
The Ulu Cami (1197) is Sivas' oldest significant building, and one of Anatolia's oldest mosques. Built by the Danışmends, it's a large, low room with a…
0.36 MILES
This Ottoman-era han (caravanserai), with its timber and white-plaster facade, is still used as shop space for traders. Inside plenty of spice sellers…
0.47 MILES
In the adjoining garden of this small 17th-century mosque are five graves, including that of the mosque's founder Haji Agha Mustafa Bey.
0.32 MILES
This squat Ottoman mosque (1580) was constructed by Sultan Murat III's grand vizier Mahmut Paşa.
0.23 MILES
This 14th-century octagonal türbe (tomb) was built for Ahi Emir Ahmed, a Sufi leader from Khorasan who spent the last half of his life in Sivas.
Nearby Central Anatolia attractions
0.16 MILES
The Ulu Cami (1197) is Sivas' oldest significant building, and one of Anatolia's oldest mosques. Built by the Danışmends, it's a large, low room with a…
0.23 MILES
This 14th-century octagonal türbe (tomb) was built for Ahi Emir Ahmed, a Sufi leader from Khorasan who spent the last half of his life in Sivas.
0.28 MILES
Dating to 1218, this was one of the most important medical schools built by the Seljuks and was once Anatolia's foremost hospital.
0.29 MILES
Commissioned by the Mongol-İlkhanid vizier Şemsettin Güveyni after defeating the Seljuks at the battle of Kosedağ, the Çifte Minare Medrese (1271) has a…
0.31 MILES
The Bürüciye Medresesi's monumental Seljuk gateway is a fitting entry to this medrese (seminary), built to teach 'positive sciences' in 1271. Inside, in a…
0.32 MILES
This squat Ottoman mosque (1580) was constructed by Sultan Murat III's grand vizier Mahmut Paşa.
0.36 MILES
This Ottoman-era han (caravanserai), with its timber and white-plaster facade, is still used as shop space for traders. Inside plenty of spice sellers…