The Sultan Süleyman Han Mosque stands in the Süleymaniye quarter, the old settlement of Gümüşhane, about three kilometres northeast of the present town. It is a work of the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent and has been repaired many times since. The plan is rectangular, divided into three aisles running perpendicular to the mihrab wall, and the aisles are covered by a roof carried on six wooden posts. The minaret has a thick cylindrical shaft and a single balcony.
It is worth knowing the context the provincial directorate gives: Gümüşhane has 27 registered mosques, of which this one and the Küçük Camii, both in Süleymaniye, are the principal examples, and they share the classical Ottoman manner. In their own time these buildings were not only places of prayer but also served social and educational functions, which is not how they are used now.
Getting there
- Access
- In the Süleymaniye neighbourhood.
When to go
- Climate
- Across Gümüşhane as a whole, monthly mean temperatures run from -1.7 °C in January to 20.3 °C in August; the mean stays between 15 and 25 °C in June, July, August and September; rainfall is heaviest in May (70 mm) and lightest in August (14 mm). Long-term means for 1961-2025 from the Turkish State Meteorological Service (MGM).
