Aslanhane Mosque in Ankara, Turkey

One of the oldest and most beautiful historical monuments in Ankara, the Aslanhane Mosque, whose name literally translates to ''Lion's House Mosque,'' predates the Ottoman Empire and was built during the period of the Seljuks that succeeded the Sultanate of Rum amid Mongol invasions. At this time in the late Middle Ages, the wool-producing Silk Road town of Ankara was uniquely ruled not by the sword but by a community or "republic" of Ahis, a so-called brotherhood formed by trade guilds under the guidance of Sufi concepts. There are several mosques in the old quarter of Ankara, built by members of the Ahi community, which bear the name "Ahi" before the names of their founders.  The colloquial name "Aslanhane" does not come from the use of the mosque to house lions in the past. Rather, it is because an ancient sculpture of a lion can be seen on one of the walls of its burial ground, which is located directly opposite the mosque. Its origin is unknown, but it was a common practice of the many pragmatic builders of the time to use readily available materials — often the stones from ancient ruins in a region as rich in history as Anatolia. In fact, a similar use of fragments of ancient buildings and even ancient tombstones can be seen on the building and interior of the mosque itself (just look at the base of the mosque's minaret and the heads of the wooden columns inside the mosque) and, on various occasions, on the Ankara Citadel, which has been renovated at various times during its long history dating back to the Phrygians. In 2023, the Aslanhane Mosque, along with four other mosques from various Anatolian cities, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List under the title "Wooden Hypostyle Mosques of Medieval Anatolia." Aside from its interesting history, the exquisite woodwork of its interior alone makes it worth a visit. Another eye-catcher is the equally beautiful tile work of the prayer niche.