I visited this WHS in Spring 2021 after a very long drive from Ani WHS. Having visited I'd rate it as a worth visiting site as much as the Ichan Pasha Palace tWHS but it can be disappointing if you invest so much time to get there solely for the one inscribed building housing the Great Mosque and Hospital of Divrigi, and not as part of a longer road trip as we did. That said, we really were glad that the major restoration works on the four ornate portals had been completed, as these were the highlights we were after and the main reason why we were eager to visit notwithstanding the long drive.

Divrigi was an important city as one of the transition points between Central Anatolia and the Euphrates basin. Although Erzincan was the most important center of the Mengujek's, it is noteworthy that the largest monument built by them is the Divrigi Great Mosque and Hospital which towers south of the Divrigi Castle and the west foothill of the Igimbat Hill. The construction of the Great Mosque of Divrigi was initiated in 1228-1229 on the order of Ahmet Shah, grandson of Mengucek Bey Sahinsah who also built the Kale Castle, and son of Suleyman Shah. The head architect of the monument was Hurremsah of Ahlat. In the southern side of the Great Mosque, there's the hospital constructed adjacent to the mosque. It is difficult to distinguish them at first glance as two separate buildings as they share the southern Qiblah wall.

There are four exquisite portals on the Great Mosque and Hospital at Divrigi. The north portal of the mosque and the portal of the hospital are better known due to their proportions and their decorative programs which have drawn more attention from scholars. These monumental portals, defined by Kuban as the "Miracle of Divrigi" rise above the side walls and come forward from the side surfaces of the north and east elevations. The decorative programs, the details of the floral and geometric patterns and calligraphy in the form of an inscription band on the north portal have outstanding peculiarities that overshadow the other special features of the building. This period of portals in Seljuk period architecture display a determined order in their design, with the arrangements of the architectural elements and the composition of their decoration and they also show a chronological development between the early and the late 13th century. However, each one of these portals is unique in small details. No Seljuk portal is the copy of another one. They are differentiated from each other with their special elements, decoration program and the application methods for all of these. The rear portal is the smallest and the least ornate of the four portals.

The plan and carvings of the qiblah portal enjoys superior features through its unique design craft, composition, facade beauty, material choice, reliefs, monumental effects, and light and shade depths. It is like the artist designed a garden of Eden through plant motifs, so much so that it is nicknamed as the "Portal of Heaven". Among the two epigraphs located on the portal, the thin one contains two lines that indicate that it was constructed during the reign of Kayqubad, while the other one containing larger characters, high-reliefs and a flower motif base, indicate that it was constructed in 1228 on the order of Ahmed Shah. It is probably the most ornate portal and truly unique.

The dimensions and proportions of the Market portal, located on the west side of the mosque, are really harmonious. The portal contains another epigraph dated 1228, which enjoys unique features in Seljuk art and all the surface of the portal is carved with fine details and rich vegetal motifs. Due to these intricate carvings, the portal has been compared to a carpet or a cloth covered with lovely patterns, and has been also nicknamed as the "Textile Portal". There are double-headed eagle motifs on the right and left surfaces of the portal wings. There are also single-headed bird figures right next to the motif in the northern side. These symbols were used by many dynasties as a sign of strength and sovreignity. With a bit of imagination and an interplay of light and shadow, on a sunny day you'll be able to spot the image of a human shadow on the western port of the structure.

The portal on the rear eastern side of the mosque is known as the Shah Portal, and is also nicknamed as the "Crow Portal". The surfaces are carved with vegetal, geometrical, star, knot and braid motifs. The minaret is located at the northwest side of the mosque. This cylindrical minaret was constructed during the Suleiman the Magnificent era in 1523. The Divrigi woodwork remains which once adorned the mosque can be admired mostly at the Ankara Vakıf Etnography Museum and the Atatürk Congress and Ethnographic Museum in Sivas.

The hospital adjacent to the mosque from the south side, has an arched door covered with magnificent and rich carvings. The building is modeled after the classical Seljuk madrasas with iwans. Its ground plan includes four iwans and a closed courtyard. It's a Mengucek monument faithful to the Central Asia Turkic building tradition. It is one of the oldest medicine centers still standing without much alterations or damage, like the Kayseri Hospital constructed in 1205 and the Sivas Hospital constructed in 1217. This building was used to treat patients with mental illness. With patient rooms on either side, the large iwan stands directly opposite the entrance and the small iwans. The chief architect used the fanning and molding of the iwan to give it acoustic properties. The reciting of sacred texts, sacred music and the sound of the water in the pool below were used to soothe the patients. The large iwan’s ceiling was constructed with a spiral key-stone system and is an example of a type of vaulting whose secret has yet to be deciphered. The chief architect carved his name in a simple manner in a high and not easily noticed spot in the eastern arch bearing the iwan vault and prayed that his work would last until Judgment Day.

The hospital portal displays brand new features in terms of height and plan. The arc of the arched portal, through its carvings, resembles a headband or a crown. It displays an extraordinary level of art through columns rising from the ground and intricate discs on the portal. The entrance side in front of the portal is decorated with star motifs. The geometrical and patterned stonework, which is typical of Seljuk architecture, are among the most beautiful samples of the period they belong to. Many patterns, typical of stone craftsmanship of the early Seljuk architecture, observed frequently in the buildings in Sivas, Konya and Divrigi can be seen on the portal of this building. The relief of a kneeling man on the keystone of the arch of the portal, which is surrounded with a triangular niche, adorned with muqarnas edging was first used in this building. The aesthetic quality of the facade is complemented with the grand windows on both sides of the portal.

Sleeping overnight at Divrigi, we were able to easily appreciate the beautiful lighting at sunrise and sunset, in an incredible ambience created by the echoing calls to prayer from scores of muezzins in the valley.