Sungurlu Clock Tower

Sungurlu Clock TowerHistoric Buildings October 2010

The Sungurlu Clock Tower is a historic clock tower located in the Sungurlu district of Çorum and considered one of the district’s landmark buildings. It represents the Sungurlu example of the clock-tower-building tradition that spread to many Anatolian towns during the late Ottoman period, particularly under the reign of Abdülhamid II. In this era, clock towers were built not only as instruments for measuring time but also as a central element in the arrangement of town squares and a visible symbol of the administration’s public-works activity.

History

The tower was built in 1892 by Edip Bey, who served as the District Governor of Sungurlu at the time. The master builder of the structure was Şakir Usta of Yozgat, who also constructed the Yozgat Clock Tower. The fact that the same master worked on more than one clock tower in the region is notable for showing that, in that period, such monumental structures in Central Anatolia rose around specific master-builder traditions.

Architecture

Built of ashlar stone, the Clock Tower has a square-prism body. The body is divided into eight tiers by projecting moldings; these horizontal moldings both visually emphasize the tower’s height and lend movement to the façade. Except for the second tier, each tier has small round-arched windows. At the very top of the tower, a wooden pavilion with a scalloped eave has been added. Beneath this pavilion, clocks with round dials were placed facing all four directions, so that anyone looking at the tower from any direction could see the time.

The structure’s technical equipment was completed with the contribution of local masters: the clock mechanisms were made by İbrahim Usta of Çorum. The tower’s bell is said to have been a gift from a German consul serving in Amasya. This account is intriguing in that it points to the international contacts of Anatolian towns of the period and to the combination of local means with outside contributions in the construction of clock towers.

Location and Visiting

The Clock Tower stands in the center of Sungurlu district, at a point where the town’s daily life is concentrated, and it serves as a landmark easily accessible to both local residents and visitors to the district. For more extensive information about the district’s historic fabric and past, you may read the article History of Sungurlu.

As another late Ottoman structure, the Çorum Clock Tower in the provincial center is a good example for those who wish to make a comparison. Among other important sites to visit around Sungurlu are Boğazköy Castle, near the world-famous Hittite settlement, and the district’s historic place of worship, the Ulu Cami (Sungurlu).

ℹ️ This article has been enriched with additional historical context and editing over the original archive content.