04.08.2026 20:41
The Darülfünun Mosque, built in 2014 on the campus of Atatürk University in Erzurum, fascinates visitors especially with its minarets shaped like reed pens (divit).
Located within the Atatürk University campus, the Darülfünun Mosque, which stands out with its architecture rarely seen in Turkey and the world, is also referred to as the "Pen Mosque" by citizens due to its pen-shaped minarets symbolizing the university.
IT AMAZES ITS VISITORS The Darülfünun Mosque, located in the Atatürk University campus in the Yakutiye district, attracts the attention of those who see it with its design different from classical mosque architecture. The mosque, opened for worship in 2014, amazes its visitors with its twin minarets shaped like a divit pen, approximately 21 meters high and 2.5 meters in diameter.
In the mosque, which takes its name from the word "Darülfünun," used to mean "university" during the Ottoman period, it is noteworthy that the minarets were also made in the form of a divit pen, one of the symbols of education. The mosque, adorned with Ottoman and Seljuk motifs and with a capacity of approximately 4,300 people, also has special ablution areas and prayer sections for disabled citizens. With the installed imaging system, the congregation in the back rows can easily follow the imam, and hot water is also provided in the ablution areas and toilets, making the mosque stand out with its technological equipment as much as its architecture.
"THE DIVIT PEN WAS ONE OF THE MAIN PILLARS OF EDUCATION" Fevzi Çakmak, the civil engineer of the Darülfünun Mosque, stated that every detail of the mosque was designed around the idea of education and science, and said that the divit pen was one of the most important symbols of knowledge during the Ottoman and Seljuk periods.
Çakmak, who expressed that the divit pen had a great contribution to the creation of manuscripts, said, "We also wanted to remind students of the past in terms of education here. We did not prefer classical Ottoman architecture in this mosque. We especially designed the dome in the Seljuk style. Since Erzurum is one of the first cities of the Seljuks, we included the Seljuk star inside the mosque and brought it to the forefront in the patterns. At that time, all those educated in madrasas wrote their works with divit pens. Therefore, we created a different style."
Stating that classical minarets were suggested during the initial design phase, Çakmak said, "There were mosque styles that came from the Ottoman period and were applied in modern Turkish architecture. However, I especially tried to implement a different style. We wanted to reflect the importance the past gave to education on the minaret. Because Atatürk University is one of Turkey's most established educational institutions. Based on this idea, we designed the minarets in the shape of a divit pen."
"BECAUSE IT IS A UNIVERSITY MOSQUE, ITS NAME IS DARÜLFÜNUN" Yakup Bayram, who has been serving as the imam of the Darülfünun Mosque since 2014, said that the name and architecture of the mosque complement each other.
Bayram, who stated that the name "Darülfünun," which means university in Ottoman Turkish, was consciously chosen, said, "The most important reason for giving this place the name Darülfünun is that it is a university mosque. In Ottoman Turkish, university means Darülfünun. Just as there are names like Darülaceze and Darüşşifa, this place took this name because it is a university."
Bayram, who noted that visitors ask the most questions about the minarets, said, "Our citizens sometimes ask, 'Hodja, can we go up to the minaret, why was it made this way?' I also explain that this is a university mosque, and that university means Darülfünun in old Turkish. The reason the minarets were made in the shape of a pen is that this is the mosque of an institution dealing with science. Therefore, the minarets were designed in the form of a divit pen."