Gogceli Mosque The Gogceli Mosque, situated in the town of Çarşamba within Samsun, Turkey, is considered the oldest wooden mosque still standing in the country. It is located in the Gogceli Cemetery in the Cay neighborhood. The mosque’s age has been confirmed through detailed architectural studies of its structure and building techniques. Researchers report that wooden samples taken from the mosque indicate it was originally built around 1206 and underwent restoration in 1335. The beams extending to the porch areas are fastened exclusively with wrought-iron nails instead of wooden pegs, highlighting the mosque’s distinctive construction style. The mosque was built using different types of wood including elm, ash, and chestnut. These woods were utilized in many structural elements such as wall posts, post heads, beams, rafters, and roof supports. The wooden planks forming the walls measure roughly 15-18 cm in thickness, 50-70 cm in width, and span about 12 to 20 meters in length. To protect the building from moisture and decay, the foundation has been dug out to a certain depth for better ventilation. Nevertheless, the interior decorations have deteriorated over time and many have fallen from their original placements due to the mosque’s long history. The mosque’s northern part is designed with a gentle curve and an arched ceiling, while another section’s roof features three ridges and is covered with traditional Turkish tiles. A restoration carried out in 2007 verified the original preservation methods used in the mosque’s construction, including the use of rafters and hand-painted embroidery on the roof boards made with madder dye. The craftsmen responsible for constructing the mosque applied various color palettes, motifs, and designs to nearly every element they crafted. What makes this artwork unique is that much of it was created using natural herbs and plants indigenous to the area. The stone carvings within the sanctuary showcase decorative features such as stylized arches, flowing branches, floral patterns, and snake-like curling branch extensions. The quality of these embellishments varies, with the occasional ochre marks on the rafters being less refined than other decorations. Additionally, some carvings on capitals and consoles in the sanctuary exhibit rough workmanship, resembling coarse woodwork painted in dark hues. If you have any questions or need further information about Gogceli Mosque, please feel free to reach out to us at [email protected] or simply message us on Whatsapp, and we will get back to you promptly.