During the periods when people settled down, stones, trees, etc. were used to protect themselves from both the attack of wild animals and the cold. We can talk about the emergence of what we call the door today, with the need to close the entrance to their shelter with things. Over time, people started to make and use doors in different geographies, with different materials, in different sizes and suitable for different usage areas. From gigantic city gates built of stone and marble to wooden gates with their magnificent handcraft and aesthetic appearance; From garden doors made of various materials such as brass and iron, to steel doors that make our lives safer, to automatic doors that make our lives more practical, to sectional doors used in both industrial and logistics areas, rolling shutters and fast doors, we continue to produce and use doors in line with human needs. We can say it started.

Even though years have passed, it is still standing; When we look at the gates of cities, castles, places of worship, and madrasas that have witnessed history, we feel as if we are taking us back to those years. Or when we look at the door of an old house, we feel as if we are describing the joys and sorrows experienced behind that door.

In this article, we will share with you the historical gates in Turkey that are still standing.

Alacahoyuk Gate with Sphinx: (CORUM)

Alacahöyük Gate with Sphinx, whose construction dates back to the Hittite Imperial Age, is the only Hittite Imperial Gate with its outward facing face and decorated with embossed orthostats on its right and left. In this respect, it differs from the Lion Gate and the King Gate in Hattusha.

The width of the Sphinx Gate is about 10 meters. The blocks on the sides of the entrance are decorated with 2 meters high sphinx protomes and there are reliefs on them.

The bull figure standing in the tower on the left represents the Storm God. On the same block, the praying king and queen, on the back blocks, the figures of bringing sacrificial animals, daggers and ladders are embroidered. On the upper block, the use of spears and arrows in hunting boar and deer is depicted.

In the tower on the right, religious ceremonies are also depicted. It is seen that religious gestures were made to the goddess sitting on the throne. All these depictions engraved on the door as a whole describe a religious ceremony celebrated in honor of the Storm God.

Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital Gates: (SİVAS)

Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital was built by Ahmet Shah and his wife Turan Melike between 1228-1229 during the rule of Mengücekoğulları in the region where it is located. The building, which has two domed tombs and an adjacent hospital, is one of the most important works of Islamic period architecture. It was included in the “World Cultural Heritage” list by UNESCO in 1985 with its traditional Anatolian stonemasonry and fascinating architecture.

The name of the entrance door of this magnificent structure is called the Crown Door. There are octagonal and pentagonal stars symbolizing the Seljuks on the inside of the door. There are stars and crescent symbols on the door. On the balance column in the middle of the crown door, there are hexagonal stars known as the seal of Solomon. In the inscription located just below the column, “Fahrettin Behram Shah’s daughter, Melike Turan, ordered the construction of this healing home in 626 H/1228 M, the helpless servant who needs Allah’s forgiveness, and the just queen.” is writing.

Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital Crown Gate (SİVAS)

Another door in Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital is called Cennet Kapı. This north-facing door is also used as the North Door and the Entrance Door of the congregation.

The motifs on the door depict heaven. The verses depicting paradise in the Qur’an are engraved on stones with many details. The whole gate was tried to be likened to the garden of paradise and the floors of heaven were tried to be shown. On the right side of the door, “May the happiness, sovereignty and bliss of the just sultan be eternal”; on the other side, the verse “There is no god but Allah, there is only Him” in the Ayetu’l Kursi is written.

There are motifs symbolizing the tree of life and eternity on the door. Just below, there are burning cauldrons; It is thought that this may have been done in the sense of reminding Hell, even a little.

The inscription on this door reads: “Ahmet Shah, son of Süleyman Shah, ordered the construction of this mosque in one of the 626 Hijri months, a helpless servant in need of Allah’s forgiveness.” The rose in the beginning part of the inscription and the nightingale in the ending part, the rose is the name of Hz. He made us think that the nightingale symbolizes the love for Allah.

Another gate in the Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital is the Shah Gate, which faces the east of the building. This is the door where the Shah entered the mosque to pray. This door was made with Classical Seljuk Techniques and looks a little more modest compared to other doors. The size of the door is much smaller than the normal human height.

The reason for this is to remind the Shahs of the consciousness of servitude and to emphasize that they will only bow before Allah. In other words, the reason for using a separate door from the community or the public is not to be isolated from them, but to have this consciousness of servitude. On the column at the entrance of the door, there is the following verse: “Property belongs to Allah, the Almighty and the only one.”

Divrigi Great Mosque and Hospital Shah Gate (SIVAS)

In this article, we tried to present you some of the Historical Doors in Turkey. As the FGI Door and Loading Technologies family, which is the leader of the sector in Sectional Doors, Rolling Doors, Fast Doors and all industrial doors, we share not only articles about Sectional Doors, Rolling Doors, Fast Doors, but also historical doors in Turkey and even in the World. We hope to interact with you culturally as well. Hope to see you in our next article…