The works on the inclusion of the city center of central Sivas province, which hosts many historical relics from the Seljuk, Ottoman and republican periods, to the UNESCO Cultural Heritage Tentative List has been initiated by the Sivas Governor's office.
Upon the completion of the preliminary preparations, an application for featuring a historical city square that resembles an open-air museum at the UNESCO list is set to take place, according to recent reports by Demirören News Agency (DHA).
The historical square of the city center encompasses the Buruciye Madrasah, the Sivas Congress building – where Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Türkiye, stayed for 108 days and which hosted a turning point in the War of Independence – the gendarmerie building and the historical governor’s office structure.
Sivas Governor Yılmaz Şimşek stated that following the inclusion of the 13th century Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital in the UNESCO World Heritage List, a preliminary meeting was held to include the city center in the tentative list. The historical square is among the places highly preferred and visited by tourists.
"Sivas and its surroundings are a region with a rich historical depth. Sivas is a city located on the Silk Road and the King's Road, and it has been home to many civilizations throughout history,” Şimşek said.
It is possible to see the traces of these civilizations in every corner of our province, especially in the city center. It is crucial for these works to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, as it is of great importance both for the promotion of these works and for the revitalization of tourism in our province," he added.
One of the first Turkish buildings inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage List, the Great Mosque and Hospital of Divriği, was built by Ahmed Shah and his wife Mellke Turan of the Principality of Mengucek. Designed by the architect Hurrem Shah of Ahlat, in 1288, the Great Mosque of Divriği is renowned for its monumental architecture, its hexagonal dome and its unique stone carving decorations.
