Hacı Bayram Mosque, Ankara (must see)

Located near the Ulus District in Ankara, adjacent to the Augustus Temple, the Haci Bayram Mosque was originally constructed in 1427 to honor the Turkish poet, mystic, and founder of the Bayrami Sufi order, Hacı Bayram Veli. The mosque's present architecture is a combination of late 17th and 18th-century styles, with later additions in the north and west.

The rectangularly planned mosque has a two-gallery minaret with a square base and brick frame located on the southeast side of the mausoleum. An inscription in large Arabic calligraphy, reading "In the Name of God, The Most Gracious, The Most Merciful," adorns the southern wall. The central hexagonal rosette is surrounded by six rows of floral decorations. A smaller version of this rosette can be found in the rectangular panel on the annexed section's ceiling to the west.

The mosque's lower-level windows have wrought-iron grates and are rectangular, while the exterior windows have niches comprised of pointed arches. The upper windows feature stained glass bordered by chiseled marble motifs and pointed arches. The Mihrab, indicating the direction of Mecca for prayer, is decorated with a cross-section of stalactites, while the corners feature an elegant inscription from the Koran in five rows on the pediment. The borders of the Mihrab also feature the Koran.

The Haci Bayram Mosque was added to the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Turkey in 2016.