Mama Hatun Complex: A Saltukid Princess’s Tomb in Tercan

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1. What is the Mama Hatun Complex?
2. How do you get to the Mama Hatun Complex?
3. When is the best time to visit the Mama Hatun Complex?
4. What is the history of the Mama Hatun Complex?
5. What is the Mama Hatun Complex famous for?
6. What can you see at the Mama Hatun Complex?
7. Frequently asked questions about the Mama Hatun Complex
8. What do the official records say about the Mama Hatun Complex?

What is the Mama Hatun Complex?

The Mama Hatun Complex (Mama Hatun Külliyesi) is a group of medieval buildings in the town of Tercan, on the old caravan route between Erzincan and Erzurum. It was built by Mama Hatun, a daughter of the Saltukid ruler İzzeddin Saltuk II, while her family ruled the region from Erzurum. The town itself was called Mamahatun until modern times.

The 2002 inventory describes it as a great complex of a caravanserai, bath, prayer room and her own tomb, “the most interesting and important work of medieval Turkish architecture” in Tercan. The tomb is the reason most people come: a fluted tomb tower standing in the middle of a circular courtyard wall lined with niches, a form found nowhere else in Anatolia.

How do you get to the Mama Hatun Complex?

Tercan is on the main road between Erzincan and Erzurum, east of Erzincan city. Buses between the two cities pass through the town, and the complex is in the centre, close to the road. From Erzincan it combines well with Altıntepe, which is on the same road.

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When is the best time to visit the Mama Hatun Complex?

Late spring to early autumn. The buildings can be seen in an hour, and the cut stone of the tomb and the caravanserai looks best in low morning or evening light.

The General Directorate of Foundations restored the complex from 2018, strengthening the tomb, caravanserai, bath and mosque and replacing decayed stones. In late 2021 the work was nearly finished but the complex had not yet reopened while landscaping was completed, so check its status before travelling specifically.

What is the history of the Mama Hatun Complex?

Mama Hatun belonged to the Saltukids, the Turkish dynasty that ruled Erzurum and its region from the late 11th century until 1202. According to the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, her father İzzeddin Saltuk II came to power in 1191, and the complex dates from the end of the 12th or the beginning of the 13th century. The 2002 inventory states that the tomb was built for Mama Hatun, who died in 1192; since the sources differ, the safest dating is around 1200.

An inscription on the tomb names its architect as Ebü’n-Nema bin Mufaddal of Ahlat on Lake Van. The caravanserai is dated to the beginning of the 13th century. The original prayer room of the complex was later lost and replaced by a mosque, and the nearby Kötür Bridge is also attributed to Mama Hatun, though its deck has collapsed.

Earlier repairs rebuilt damaged parts of the tomb in plain stone, so only part of the original decoration survives. The most recent restoration began after a tender in 2018.

What is the Mama Hatun Complex famous for?

• The circular tomb enclosure. The inventory notes that, with its circular plan, the tomb is the only original work of its kind in Anatolian tomb architecture.
• The caravanserai. At 51 by 51 m, the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam calls it the largest of its group of single-axis caravanserais. It has corner towers and a central courtyard.
• The portal inscriptions. The tomb has five inscriptions over its door, including a Kufic band with the Ihlas sura and the names of God, the Prophet and the first four caliphs.

What can you see at the Mama Hatun Complex?

The tomb. A circular wall about 13.5 m across, with thirteen pointed niches on the inside; six of them hold sarcophagi thought to belong to Mama Hatun’s relatives. In the centre stands the two-storey tomb, square below and octagonal above, with a fluted drum and conical roof. Mama Hatun’s own sarcophagus is inside. The west portal is the main decorated element.

The caravanserai. About 30 m east of the tomb. Built of cut stone with pointed vaults, it has rooms, iwans and stables arranged around a courtyard.

The bath. A small rectangular bath between the tomb and the caravanserai, at the northeast corner of the caravanserai, built in the same period. It has a changing room with a hexagonal pool, a domed warm room and a boiler room.

The mosque. Built on the site of the original prayer room after it was lost.

Frequently asked questions about the Mama Hatun Complex

What do the official records say about the Mama Hatun Complex?

Mama Hatun, daughter of the Saltukid ruler İzzeddin II, built in Tercan, while the Saltukid principality was in power, a great complex made up of a caravanserai, bath, prayer room and her own tomb, the most interesting and important work of medieval Turkish architecture.

The Mama Hatun Caravanserai, thought to have been built at the end of the 12th century, is 30 m east of the Mama Hatun Tomb. It was recently restored together with landscaping of its surroundings. The tomb was built for Mama Hatun, who died in 1192. With its circular plan, the tomb draws attention as the only original work within Anatolian tomb architecture. There are five inscriptions over its door. The Mama Hatun Bath, at the northeast corner of the caravanserai, was built in the same period. Because the prayer room in the complex later collapsed, a mosque was built in its place. (Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Erzincan Provincial Tourism Inventory, 2002)