Çifte Minareli Madrasa, Sivas

Overview

On the historic square of Sivas, a tall carved gate stands between two brick minarets. Behind it there is almost nothing; the rest of the school has gone. Yet this front alone is one of the great sights of Sivas: the Çifte Minareli Madrasa, the “madrasa with twin minarets”. Our Sivas and Divriği tour stops here before the drive to Divriği.

The Story of the Çifte Minareli Madrasa

The Ilkhanid vizier Sahip Şemsettin Muhammed Cüveynî founded the building in 1271 as a dar’ül-hadis, a school for the study of the sayings of the Prophet. It was built in the years after 1243, when Sivas came under Ilkhanid influence, the same period as the Gök Madrasa and the Buruciye.

What to See at the Çifte Minareli Madrasa

The school was planned around an open courtyard with four iwans on two storeys. Today, only the front survives. So look closely at the high portal of stone, brick and tile, and at the two minarets that crown it. In 2014, the madrasa entered Türkiye’s UNESCO Tentative List as part of the Anatolian Seljuk Madrasas.

Three Madrasas of 1271

Three madrasas of Sivas date from the same year, 1271. The Gök Madrasa, about 300 m (330 yd) from the square, was built for the grand vizier Sahip Ata Fahrettin Ali by the architect Kaluyan; its turquoise tiles gave it its name, and after a restoration completed in 2021 it opened as the Gök Medrese (a school of Islamic learning) Foundation Museum. The Buruciye, right on the square, was built by the scholar Muzaffer Burucerdi to teach physics, chemistry and astronomy, but it is now closed to visits while restoration works go on.

How to Visit the Çifte Minareli Madrasa

A full restoration is planned to run until 2028, so check the situation before you go. The facade stands on the historic square in the center of Sivas, next to the Buruciye Madrasa. Nearby, see the Gök Madrasa and the Ulu Camii. We add the Çifte Minareli Madrasa to your Sivas walk. Across the square stands the Şifaiye Madrasa, and the Congress Museum is a short walk away.

Would you like to explore Sivas with a local guide, from its Seljuk madrasas to Divriği? The madrasas of 1271 open our Sivas and Divriği tour, which ends at the Great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği; more is in our Sivas guide.