Things to Do in Sivas: The Medreses and the Divrigi Great Mosque

--- title: "Sivas guide: the densest Seljuk stonework in Anatolia" description: "An honest guide to Sivas: the medrese square, the 1919 Congress Museum, the UNESCO mosque at Divrigi, and the lakes and springs across the province. 20 stops with real coordinates." city: "Sivas" country: "Turkey" lang: "en" updated: "2026-07-17" ---

A high, cold city built out of stone

Sivas sits at 1,280 metres on open steppe in central Anatolia. The winters are long, the wind is constant, the summers are short and dry. It is not one of Turkey's tourist cities and it makes no effort to become one. There is one reason to come, and it is a good one: nowhere else in Anatolia has 13th-century Seljuk stonework packed into such a small area. The Sifaiye Medrese, the Cifte Minareli Medrese and the Buruciye Medrese sit a two-minute walk from each other, facing the same square. The Gok Medrese is a little to the south. All are the work of the same century. Seeing them together does something that reading about them separately cannot: it makes clear that these are buildings answering each other, not isolated monuments.

The second reason is in the far south-east of the province, at Divrigi. The Great Mosque and Hospital, built in 1228 under the Mengujekids, has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985. Its stone portals are carved with a depth and a strangeness that has no real parallel in Anatolian architecture, and very little parallel anywhere in the medieval world. But Divrigi is roughly two and a half to three hours from Sivas city. That is the single most important warning in this guide. The most common mistake visitors make is looking at a map, seeing that Divrigi is in the same province, and assuming it is a half-day detour. It is not. It is a separate day, and ideally a night.

Sivas suits people interested in stone carving, architectural history, the Seljuk period and the early Republic. It suits travellers who can stand in front of one facade for twenty minutes and keep looking. It does not suit anyone after nightlife, a coastline or hiking routes. There are lakes and hot springs scattered across the province, but they are additions to the trip, not the story.

Quick answer

Come to Sivas for the Seljuk medreses: give the city two days and set aside a separate day for Divrigi.

• The medrese square is entirely walkable, no car needed in the city.
• Divrigi is about 2.5 to 3 hours from the city, plan a separate day for it.
• The long restoration at Divrigi is finished and the building reopened to visitors on 6 May 2024.
• A car is essential for the lakes, springs and archaeological sites, public transport will not work.

1. Sifaiye Medresesi

The most important building on the square, and probably the most valuable thing you will see in Sivas. It was built in 1217 by the Seljuk Sultan Izzeddin Keykavus I as a darussifa, meaning both a hospital and a medical school, and it counts among the oldest surviving hospital buildings anywhere. That fact lands once you are inside. This was not built for worship. It was an institution with a job to do, and the courtyard, the arcades and the student cells still read as a working plan.

The south iwan holds the tomb of Izzeddin Keykavus himself, containing twelve sandukas of varying sizes belonging to the sultan and members of his family. The tile and glazed brick decoration in the tomb is cited among the richest surviving work in Seljuk art, and it visibly separates itself from the rest of the building. The medrese was repaired in 1937 and again between 2008 and 2011. It is now under the General Directorate of Foundations and functions as a museum and cultural site. Verify opening hours officially, they shift with the season.

2. Cifte Minareli Medrese

Directly opposite the Sifaiye, about thirty paces away. That closeness is the whole logic of the square. It was built in 1271-72, and according to the inscription on its portal it was commissioned by Semseddin Cuveyni, a vizier of the Ilkhanate.

Here the photographs mislead, so let us be direct. The interior of this medrese is gone. What remains standing is the eastern facade and its two minarets, nothing else. You are not looking at a building. You are looking at a wall, and when you walk behind it you find empty ground. Knowing this in advance does not spoil the visit, it changes how you look: this is no longer the entrance to something, it is a surface of stone and brick standing on its own. The carving on the portal and the brickwork of the minarets reward close attention. Come early in the day, when the light hits the facade directly and the depth of the carving reads properly. By the afternoon the facade falls into shadow.

3. Buruciye Medresesi

The most complete building on the square, which makes it the easiest to understand on a first visit. It was built in 1271-72, during the reign of Giyaseddin Keyhusrev III, by Muzafferuddin Burucirdi. His name comes from Burucird near Hamadan, so the patron was a man who arrived from Iran. Accounts note that the positive sciences were taught here.

What separates it from its neighbours is simply that all of it is still standing. The open courtyard, the arcades around it and the student cells are in place. You can actually see how a medrese worked, where students slept and where teaching happened, which is exactly what the Cifte Minareli cannot show you. Its portal and inner facade are cited among the better examples of Seljuk stone carving from the period. It was repaired in 1965-66 and turned into a museum, with further work since. You can sit in the courtyard and step out of the noise of the square for a while. Verify entry conditions officially.

4. Kale Camii

An Ottoman mosque on the edge of the medrese square, standing right beside the Seljuk buildings. After three medreses in a row, walking in here is a relief of scale, because this is a working neighbourhood mosque that is not trying to impress anybody.

Guidebooks tend to skip it, and that is understandable, since it makes no claim next to the Sifaiye or the Buruciye. But it is a useful stop for reading the square. The centre of Sivas has stayed in the same place for centuries, and every period added its own building to the same ground. A Seljuk medrese, an Ottoman mosque and, a short walk away, the congress building of the early Republic all sit within a few hundred metres. Kale Camii is the middle link in that sequence. The interior is plain. Avoid entering at prayer times: this is an active place of worship and it does not behave like a monument.

5. Sivas Ataturk Congress and Ethnography Museum

The Sivas Congress met in this building in September 1919, and it is a founding moment of the Turkish Republic. The building had previously been a school. Today it is a museum.

Its power is not architectural, it is in the rooms. The hall where the congress was held has been preserved, and standing at the table you notice how small the space is. The place where the future of a country was argued out is about the size of a mid-sized classroom. That is not the same experience as reading the history. The ethnography section holds regional clothing, weaving and everyday objects.

It is a few minutes on foot from the medreses, so it folds into the same day easily. Even if you came to Sivas purely for the architecture, do not skip this one, because it is the stop that explains why the city still matters. Verify opening hours and entry officially.

6. Sivas Kalesi and Kale Parki

Set your expectations first: there is no castle here. There is a hill, a park laid out on top of it, and traces of wall in places. Despite the city's long history, nothing substantial survives of the fortress. What you get is walking paths, benches and a view over the city.

Even so, climbing up after the square is worth doing. The elevation is modest but enough to see Sivas from above, and from here you understand how flat and how exposed the ground under the city really is. You can see the steppe closing in from every direction. For locals this is a place to walk and drink tea in the evening. It does not behave like a tourist site, which is part of the appeal. It is a few hundred metres uphill from the square on foot. Remember that it is a windy hill, and in spring and autumn it is colder up there than you expect.

7. Sivas Ulu Camii

The oldest mosque in the city, commissioned in 1196-97 by Kizilarslan bin Ibrahim during the reign of Kutbeddin Melikshah. Izzeddin Keykavus I had it repaired in 1212, and the minaret was completed in 1213. That makes it older than everything on the medrese square.

Do not come expecting decoration. The Ulu Camii is the opposite of the city's show buildings: low, plain and full of columns. Inside, rows of piers run back and the space stretches away from you in depth. Early Seljuk mosques of this type were not built to impress, they were built to hold a crowd. That plainness becomes interesting when you set it beside the Gok Medrese facade, built in the same city about seventy-five years later: one culture, two completely different claims. During repairs in 1955 both the original construction and repair inscriptions were found. It is a few minutes on foot from the square. It is an active mosque, so mind prayer times and keep quiet inside.

8. Kursunlu Hamami

A historic bathhouse inside the market district, on the Pasabey side, a few minutes on foot from the Ulu Camii, which puts it neatly on the same route.

One thing needs saying plainly: the operating status of historic hamams in Turkey changes often. It may be closed, it may be under restoration, or it may open to men and women only on particular days or hours. Confirm before you go, because turning up at a locked door is a waste of an afternoon. Even if you do not intend to bathe, the building is worth looking at from outside, since it is an old structure absorbed into the fabric of a working market and it shows how daily life in Sivas is built directly on top of the historic centre. The shoemakers' market around it is interesting in its own right. Ask the operator directly about prices and services, online information goes stale quickly.

9. Gok Medrese

About half a kilometre south of the square, which means a separate walk, but make it. It was built in 1271 during the reign of Giyaseddin Keyhusrev III by the Seljuk vizier Sahip Ata Fahreddin Ali. The architect was Kaluyan.

This is where the stone and tile work in Sivas reaches its highest density. The name comes from the turquoise tiles used in the decoration. The portal, together with the minarets flanking it, is a demonstration of how much information can be forced onto a single surface. The minarets are brick-built and about 25 metres tall. The building served as a museum between 1934 and 1967 and underwent major restoration and excavation in 1978. It remains active as a cultural site.

Coming here after the three medreses on the square is the right order, because the Gok Medrese facade looks excessive even next to them, and by then you have something to measure it against. Verify access and visiting status officially.

10. Sivas Archaeological Museum

North of the centre, on the Mevlana Mahallesi side. Not within walking distance of the medrese square, so expect a short taxi or drive.

This is where the province's archaeological finds are gathered. Sivas is rich in mounds and ancient settlements, and material from sites like Sarissa, further down this list, ends up in museum collections. Seeing foundation-level stone in a field and seeing objects from that same settlement behind glass are complementary experiences, so if the Hittite period interests you, come here before you go out to the site.

Keep expectations proportionate: this is a provincial museum, not a major national collection. What it does well is show that Sivas has thousands of years of settlement behind it, long before the Seljuks, which stops you from reading the city as a 13th-century object only. Verify opening days and hours officially.

11. Surp Anapat Church

A ruined Armenian church a few kilometres north-west of the centre. It is one of the few physical traces left of the substantial Armenian population that lived in Sivas for a long time.

Let us be honest about what this is. It is not a managed visitor site. The building is unmaintained and in a ruined state. Do not expect signage, information boards or a proper road. Its position outside the settlement means driving and then walking the last stretch. Be careful around the structure, the stability of the remains is not guaranteed.

We include it for a reason. Telling the story of Sivas purely through Seljuk medreses would be an incomplete account. Other communities lived in this city and they built things too, and the current condition of what is left of them is part of the information. If you came only for stone carving you can skip this stop. If you want to understand the city, go.

12. Soguk Cermik

A thermal area north of the city centre, about half an hour by car. The name is misleading: soguk means cold, and it describes water that is only relatively cooler than the province's other springs.

This is a facility, not a nature stop. It is built around thermal pools and accommodation businesses. If you arrive expecting walking trails, viewpoints or picnic ground you will be disappointed. But if you have spent a few days walking around Sivas in cold air and want to sit in hot water, this is the closest option to the city and far more accessible than the Balikli spring out at Kangal.

Operating status, entry conditions and whether day use is possible all vary. Ask in advance whether you need to book and whether day visitors are accepted. For pricing, contact the businesses directly rather than trusting second-hand sources.

13. Divrigi Great Mosque and Hospital

The second reason to come to Sivas, and probably the most unusual building you will see in Turkey. It was built in 1228-29 under the Mengujekids. The inscription names Ahmadshah ibn Sulayman as the patron of the mosque, and Turan Malik bint Fakhr al-Din Bahramshah as the patron of the hospital. The chief architect was Khurramshah of Ahlat. It has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1985.

Its reputation rests on the stone portals, and the reputation is not inflated. The high-relief carving on the north portal, in both its depth and its density, has no real equivalent in Anatolian architecture. The motifs do not settle into a familiar order, the scale shifts where you do not expect it, and the result is among the strangest things carved anywhere in the medieval world. Photographs cannot carry it, because the subject is not the pattern on the surface, it is how far the shadow goes into the stone. The hospital portal is a different design, framed by a monumental pointed arch with a window at its centre.

The long restoration is complete and the building reopened to visitors on 6 May 2024. Verify current access officially before travelling.

14. Divrigi glass terrace

A viewing terrace east of the Great Mosque, looking down over the town. A few minutes by car from the mosque.

Its purpose is simple: to see Divrigi and the complex whole. Down in the narrow streets it is hard to grasp where the mosque sits in the valley, or how small the town actually is. From above, the reason the building was placed on that particular slope becomes legible. That makes it a good thing to do after visiting the mosque rather than before, because it puts what you have just seen in its place.

Glass-floored viewing terraces have multiplied across Turkey in recent years and most of them are much alike. Treat this as a viewpoint, not an attraction. If heights bother you, the view is available without stepping onto the glass section. Late afternoon light is the better bet. Opening hours and seasonal closures vary, so ask.

15. Balikli Kaplica

In the Kangal district, roughly two hours by car from Sivas city. This is a treatment centre, not a sightseeing stop, and it helps to know that before you set off.

Small fish living in the spring pools are used in treating skin conditions such as psoriasis, and this draws medical visitors, including from abroad. Most people here are not stopping for an hour. They stay for days or weeks and attend regular sessions. The atmosphere is closer to a clinic than a resort.

If you turn up out of curiosity and stay half an hour, what you will see is a modest facility, and it may not justify a two-hour drive. If you have a genuine interest in this kind of treatment, or you are heading out towards Kangal anyway, it makes sense. Contact the facility directly for treatment programmes, accommodation and entry conditions, and take any health decisions to your own doctor.

16. Alacahan Caravanserai

A Seljuk caravanserai in the Kangal district, sitting on the road out towards Balikli Kaplica and Divrigi. It is not worth a two-hour drive on its own, but if you are already on that road it would be a shame to pass it.

Caravanserais held the Seljuk road network together, and they are scattered across Anatolia today. Alacahan is one of them. Do not look for the fine work of the city medreses here: a caravanserai is a functional building, thick-walled and defensible. That contrast is what makes it useful, because the same state in the same century built both this and the Gok Medrese facade. One is display, the other is infrastructure.

Its state of preservation and whether the interior can be entered may vary. It is right by the road, so fifteen or twenty minutes is enough. Verify access in advance.

17. Gokpinar Golu

In the Zara district, about an hour and a half by car from Sivas. It is the best known of the province's natural stops.

It is a spring-fed lake, so the water comes up from below and stays cold and clear year round. The clarity is real: plants and stones on the bottom are visible from the surface. You will notice the lake looks turquoise in photographs, and that does happen depending on the light, though not at every hour of the day.

Set expectations correctly: this is not a swimming lake. The water is cold and the site is protected. There are short laid-out paths and seating around it. Weekends and summer months fill up with local visitors, so go midweek if you want quiet. Half a day is enough if you are heading out towards Zara. Access rules and any entry fee may change, so verify before going.

18. Hafik Golu

The closest lake to Sivas city, about forty-five minutes by car. It is a karstic lake, water collected in a hollow formed as the ground below dissolved.

Do not expect Gokpinar's clarity here. Hafik is quieter and more ordinary, and its real value is its accessibility. If you have spent two days in the centre looking at stone and museums and want a short break, this is the only option that stays under half a day. The shoreline is good for birdwatching, particularly during migration periods.

There are places to walk and sit around it. Local visitors come in summer, and outside that it is calm. Think of this as a pause rather than a destination: the view is modest, but after the concentrated stone programme of the city centre, looking at a flat sheet of water does something useful. The road is asphalt and straightforward. Water levels shift with the season.

19. Dipsiz Gol

In the Doganşar district, about two hours north of the city by car. A small sinkhole lake, and the least visited stop in this guide.

The name means bottomless. The lake is not. It is small and its surroundings are plain. The reason to go is not that the view is extraordinary, it is the drive itself and the reasonable chance of meeting nobody when you arrive. Doganşar is among the least populated districts in Sivas, and there is almost no traffic in that direction.

Let us be plain: driving two hours for this lake alone does not make sense for most travellers. If you have five or six days in Sivas, want to get completely away from other people and are curious about the northern roads, go. Otherwise Hafik or Gokpinar meet the same need for far less driving. Check road conditions by season, access in this direction gets difficult in winter.

20. Sarissa (Kusakli site)

In the Altinyayla district, about two hours south-west of the city by car. The remains of a Hittite city, and one of the most concrete pre-Seljuk traces in the province.

Lower your expectations up front: nothing here is standing. What you see is stone at foundation level, the line of the city wall and the plan of temple areas. It takes imagination. To anyone without an interest in archaeology this ground can look like an empty hillside, and that reaction is fair enough.

For anyone who does have the interest, the value is this: Sarissa has been excavated and published, and the plan can be read. Coming here after focusing on 13th-century stone stretches the time scale, because this settlement was founded roughly two thousand years before the medreses. If you have also seen the Archaeological Museum in the city, the two stops complete each other. Verify whether the site is open and what the excavation season situation is before going.

Getting to Divrigi

The most repeated fact in this guide: Divrigi is roughly 2.5 to 3 hours from Sivas city. The straight-line distance looks short, but the road is mountainous and full of bends, so do not trust the estimate on the map. This is not somewhere you drop into after lunch.

The right plan is to give Divrigi its own day. Leave early, take the mosque and hospital without rushing, go up to the glass terrace, drive back in the evening. That means most of the day in the car, but it works. Better still, stay a night in Divrigi. Accommodation in the town is limited, so arrange it in advance.

Driving is the practical option. There is a rail connection between Sivas and Divrigi and you can check timetables through TCDD, though the frequency may not fit the way you want to plan your day. For buses, get current information from the district bus station.

On the restoration: the major restoration process decided in 2010 ran long. The first tender was held in 2015, work stopped in 2019 for financial reasons, restarted in 2022, and the completed building reopened to visitors on 6 May 2024. The years of closure and protective covering are over. Even so, verify the current situation officially before you travel, because on a building of this scale work on individual sections can come back onto the agenda.

Getting there

You can fly to Sivas. Sivas Nuri Demirag Airport is north of the city with connections to Istanbul and Ankara. Frequency is limited, so you may need to build your dates around the flights rather than the other way around. Confirm current schedules with the airlines.

The train is the other option, and Sivas is a significant junction on the Turkish rail network. A high-speed line runs between Ankara and Sivas, and the conventional lines heading east pass through the city as well. Check TCDD for current times and journey durations.

Once you arrive, the thing that matters is this: the medrese square is entirely walkable. The Sifaiye, the Cifte Minareli, the Buruciye and Kale Camii are minutes apart. The Ulu Camii and Kursunlu Hamami are within walking distance. The Gok Medrese is half a kilometre south, still on foot. You do not need a car in the centre, and a car mostly creates a parking problem.

For everything else, a car is essential. Divrigi, Kangal, Zara, Hafik, Doganşar and Altinyayla are all difficult by public transport. Rentals can be arranged in the city. Distances are long and the roads are empty, so plan fuel and stops in advance.

When to go

Sivas is at 1,280 metres and the climate matches the altitude. Winter is long and hard. From December through March temperatures sit below freezing routinely, snow is normal and district roads can close. You can see the medreses in the city in winter, but every minute spent outside is work, and heading out towards Divrigi or Doganşar becomes a risk.

The best window runs from late spring to autumn. May, June, September and October are the most balanced months: clear skies, reasonable temperatures, roads without problems. July and August are hot and dry, with daytime temperatures climbing, though the low humidity makes it less punishing than the coast. In summer the lakes and springs fill with local visitors, especially at weekends.

September carries something extra. The anniversary of the Sivas Congress falls at the start of the month and the city holds commemorations. Visiting the Congress Museum around then is meaningful, and busier.

Early spring, meaning April, is a gamble. Some years it is clear and pleasant, other years there is still snow. If you come then, check road conditions daily and pack properly. At this altitude the gap between day and night temperatures is wide in every season, and even in summer the evenings turn cool.

What to eat

Sivas koftesi is the city's best known dish. It is a thin, long grilled kofte and it stands apart from Turkey's other kofte traditions. You will find it widely across the city.

Katmer is taken seriously here. In Sivas katmer is not a sweet pastry: it is a bread, laid up in layers, oiled and baked. It is eaten at breakfast and through the day, and you will find it in bakeries and patisseries around town.

On kebabs, Sivas follows its own line. Tandir and oven-cooked meats are common in the region, and it sits some distance from the chilli-heavy kebab culture of the south-east. The meat itself leads, and spice stays in the background.

Beyond those there are regional pastries and soups. The food here is not an ambitious gastronomic route, but it is honest and filling. There are places in the city that have been running a long time. Ask locals which ones are good right now. We are not naming restaurants, because businesses and prices change.

FAQ

**How many days do I need for Sivas?**

Two full days covers the city. The medrese square, the Congress Museum, the Ulu Camii, the Gok Medrese and the Archaeological Museum all fit comfortably in that time. Add a separate day for Divrigi. If you also want the lakes and springs, plan four to five days.

**Can I do Divrigi as a day trip from Sivas city?**

Technically yes, but you will spend roughly five to six hours in the car. An early start is essential. If you can, stay a night in Divrigi and see the town and the mosque without rushing. Accommodation is limited, so book ahead.

**Is the Divrigi Great Mosque open, and is the restoration finished?**

The long restoration is complete and the building reopened to visitors on 6 May 2024. The years of closure are over. Even so, we would check the current situation officially before making the drive.

**Do I need a car to see the medreses?**

No. The Sifaiye, Cifte Minareli, Buruciye and Kale Camii are on the same square, and the Congress Museum is a few minutes on foot. The Ulu Camii, Kursunlu Hamami and Gok Medrese are walkable too. A car is only needed for the districts.

**Is the Kangal fish spring worth visiting as a tourist?**

You can, but adjust your expectations. It is a treatment facility and most visitors stay for extended periods for skin conditions. It is about two hours from the city. Making that drive out of curiosity alone is not a good use of a day for most travellers.

**Does it make sense to visit Sivas in winter?**

It is possible for the buildings in the city, but it is hard going. Temperatures are below freezing, snow is common and district roads can close. If Divrigi or the lakes are on your list, do not pick winter. Late spring through autumn is far easier.