Description of the attraction
Madrasah Chifte Minareli, one of the most significant and respected theological schools in Anatolia, is located opposite Erzurum Castle with its famous Clock Tower. The name of the madrasah translates as "double minarets", which is a direct indication of the main architectural feature of the building - two fluted minarets 26 meters high, which frame the main facade.
The madrasah was built by the Seljuks at the end of the 13th century. There are several opinions as to when exactly this structure was erected. On the portal of the building, the year 1271 is indicated and the customer of the madrasah is mentioned - the daughter of the Seljuk Sultan Kei-Kubad I named Huand Khatun. In her honor, the madrasah is often named Khatuniyye.
Historians believe that in fact the two-story building, consisting of 37 rooms and a mosque hall, was erected a little later, because it was built in the image of the Gek madrasah in Sivas, which is dated 1271.
In the center of the madrasah there is a yard measuring 26X10 meters, around which buildings with living and student rooms are built, a mosque adjoins the yard from the west, and in the southern part of this space there is the largest mausoleum in Anatolia, where the remains of, most likely, the founder of the school, Huand, were found. khatun.
The double door of the madrasah is decorated with plant elements typical of Seljuk buildings. Brick minarets are decorated with glazed tiles. There are stone panels on both sides of the entrance. A double-headed eagle is visible on the board on the right side. The motive on the left side was in all likelihood incomplete.
