Aslanhane Mosque

Aslanhane Mosque — formally known as Arslanhane Camii or Ahi Şerafettin Camii — is the oldest surviving mosque in Ankara, built in the late 13th century during a period when central Anatolia was governed under the Ilkhanate with local authority exercised by the Ahi Brotherhood craftsman guilds. The mosque was commissioned by Ahi Şerafettin, the Brotherhood's leader in Ancyra, and dates to approximately 1289–1290. It represents one of the finest surviving examples of Anatolian Seljuk wooden architecture. The interior is the building's defining achievement: 24 columns, all repurposed Roman-era marble shafts taken from earlier structures across ancient Ancyra, support a flat timber ceiling decorated with intricate geometric carving and painted stalactite muqarnas. The columns vary in height, shaft profile, and capital design — their mixed origins giving the interior a distinctive irregularity that distinguishes it from later, purpose-built Ottoman mosques. Each column rewards individual examination, as the capital types span multiple periods and workshop traditions of Roman Ancyra. The mihrab is an exceptional example of Seljuk ceramic art, surfaced with turquoise and cobalt blue geometric tiles arranged in interlocking polygonal patterns. The original 13th-century carved wooden minbar survives in its original position beside the mihrab. Stone lion reliefs discovered during 20th-century courtyard renovations — the source of the mosque's colloquial name, Aslanhane meaning Lion House — are displayed inside the complex. The mosque has been in continuous liturgical use since its construction, and restoration work in the 20th century preserved the structural timberwork without substantially altering the Seljuk interior character. The building stands at the foot of Ankara Citadel in the Altındağ district, within the historic Ulus quarter.