Oğuzlar Çarşı Mosque Minaret
The minaret of the Çarşı Mosque in the centre of Oğuzlar is the part of the older building that survives today. For the history of the district, see History of Oğuzlar.
Records
According to the 2009 Çorum Cultural Inventory, the minaret was built by Hacızade Ali Ağa in 1810. The same entry states that in 1975 the old mosque was demolished, apart from its minaret, and a new mosque was built in its place. The structure is classed as a monumental building, belongs to the General Directorate of Foundations (Vakıflar), and was registered by decision no. 372 of 4 March 2005 (map sheet 3, parcel 630); the inventory gives its present use as “minaret”. The entry on the Kültür Envanteri website rests on the Çorum Cultural Inventory and classifies the building as Ottoman, 19th century.
A different dating
According to a Yayla Haber report of 3 December 2015, Arif Çamiçi and Alaaddin Coşkun, members of the Çorum Provincial General Assembly at the time, submitted a written motion stating that the Çarşı Mosque minaret is a structure of the Seljuk period, noted that it had not been restored to that day, and the matter was referred to the Culture and Tourism Commission. The inventory entry dates the minaret to 1810, whereas the members’ motion refers to the Seljuk period; the report attaches no further document for this dating.
The sources used give no details on the minaret’s architectural features or present condition.
Sources
- Çorum Kültür Envanteri (Çorum Cultural Inventory), Çorum Governorate Provincial Directorate of Culture and Tourism Publications No. 3, Çorum 2009, p. 305. https://www.kulturportali.gov.tr/medya/dokuman/dokumandetay/6074
- Kültür Envanteri (Cultural Inventory), entry “Çarşı Camii, Oğuzlar”. https://kulturenvanteri.com/yer/carsi-camii-oguzlar/
- “Oğuzlar Çarşı Camii Minaresi Restore Edilmeli” (The Oğuzlar Çarşı Mosque Minaret Should Be Restored), Yayla Haber, 3 December 2015. https://www.yaylahaber.com.tr/oguzlar-carsi-camii-minaresi-restore-edilmeli