The Great Mosque of Diyarbakir: a contribution to understanding the monumental development of a site from antiquity to the Arab conquest

Abstract

Located in a central position of both the ancient and the contemporary city, the site of the Great Mosque of Diyarbakir has been a unique stage for the expression of power over the centuries. As a result of restoration work carried out in the complex between 2012 and 2017, a number of elements have emerged that may shed new light on what has so far been suggested about this site by literary sources and field observations alone. This article offers a new study of the monumental development of this space and seeks to identify the main stages of its history from antiquity to the Arab conquest and the conversion of the area into a mosque complex. Özet Hem antik kentin, hem de günümüz sehrinin merkezi bir konumunda bulunan Diyarbakir Ulu Camii, yüzyillar boyunca gücün ifadesi için essiz bir örnek olusturmustur. 2012–2017 yillari arasinda gerçeklestirilen restorasyon çalismalari sonucunda, simdiye kadar bu kompleks hakkinda sadece edebi kaynaklar ve alan incelemeleri ile önerilen bulgulara isik tutabilecek bir dizi unsur ortaya çikmistir. Bu makale, mekanin anitsal gelisimi ile ilgili yeni bir çalismayi sunmakta ve antik çaglardan Arap fethine ve alanin bir camii kompleksine dönüstürülmesine kadar olan tarihinin ana evrelerini belirlemeye çalismaktadir.