I spent a day in Divrigi in May 2003 whilst making a trip from the west to east of Turkey. This place is a marvel and it is a shame that so few tourists come here. Of course the most famous attraction here is the Grand Mosque, but there are quite a few other archtectural remains from pre-Ottoman Turkish times: the ruined castle and the burial chambers (turbe) that bear testament to times when Divrigi was a major settlement. It was prized for its iron ore, which is still the major form of economic activity here today. However, for me as a fan of the genre the old Ottoman town houses were probably the greatest delight. These wonderful half-wood half-brick constructions have almost completely dissapeared from the urban regions of Turkey, their places taken by soulless apartment blocks. For me, Divrigi above all is a living museum of Ottoman architecture. I don't recall seeing a single ugly apartment block. You can roam for hours here through an unspoilt sea of twisting little lanes flanked by traditional Turkish town houses, and a lot of them have been kept in quite good condition. Then there is the natural beauty of the place. A fast flowing river passes just by the town, the railway follows this course. This river has cut a steep ravine in the mountains. Take the path up to the castle from the road leading from the town centre to the railway station and continue round from the castle for a really spectacular view of this ravine. (I don't mean the approach to the castle from the Grand Mosque - you can't get round to the side with the view from here!) On the way back down double back along the path taking you past some commercial-looking buildings and you are right beside the river. We are really talking far from the madding crowd. For the most part the landscape in this part of the province of Sivas consists of gentle, green pastureland with higher land in the background. It really is a good place to come for some peaceful inner contemplation. In a word I was totally enraptured by the place. As a postscript, I should add that I am a fluent Turkish speaker and you may seriously have problems locating anyone who can speak a foreign language here. The local people are very genuine and friendly however, although you should realise that this region of Turkey is noted for being fairly fundamentalist, and visitors should make some effort to avoid behaviour that may upset devout Muslims. On the other hand a lot of people in this area belong to the liberal Alawite sect which is characterised by tolerance and open mindedness. There has been intersectarian strife in the region in the past between Alawites and mainstream Sunnis, so I would certainly advise steering clear of this topic.

I stayed at the Belediye Hotel near the station. A single room with en-suite shower costs in the region of 4-5 USD per night. It is basic but very clean and well run.