Rock-Cut Mosques of the Cappadocia Region

Cappadocia is one of the regions where rock, a construction material, shaped architecture. The region's natural rocks, which were easy to work with, have been used as the primary building material for all communities that settled in the region for hundreds of years. Among the examples of architectural history that have survived to the present day in the Cappadocia region, rock-cut churches and civil dwellings stand out. This study reveals that rocks, the main construction material in the region's architecture, were preferred for all types of structures, including mosque construction, and that this practice was more widespread than previously thought. Rock-cut mosques, with examples found in Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, and Niğde, were shaped by the hands of anonymous rock masters who guided the region's architecture. Considering their locations, these rock-cut mosques are understood to be products of rural architecture and have been examined and evaluated comprehensively for the first time based on 55 identified examples. Especially in the second half of the 20th century, the introduction of reinforced concrete-masonry mosques built near them (in an effort towards modernization) led to the rock-cut mosques, which were produced by those who adapted to nature without fighting it, becoming empty or changing their function.