Cacabey Observatory Medrese

A 13th Century Seljuk Medrese Built As An Observatory And School Of Astronomy And Medicine, With A Carved Stone Portal, A Pool And An Inscription Naming Its Builder, Now A Small Museum. A Rare Scientific Building Of The Seljuk Age, Near The Ahi Evran Mosque · Kirsehir, Kirsehir

The Cacabey Medrese in the centre of Kirsehir, a quiet town in central Anatolia roughly 180 km east of Ankara, was built in 1272 as a Seljuk school of astronomy and medicine, and it is among the few buildings in Turkiye linked directly to the study of the stars, and it is the best-known landmark of the town. It was founded by Nureddin Cebrail bin Abdullah, known as Caca Bey, a Seljuk emir (confirm), and its plan is simple: a courtyard with a small pool, a tall carved stone portal and rooms around it, with an opening in the roof that is often described as the observatory (confirm). Nearby stand the Ahi Evran complex and the tomb of the 13th-century craft guild leader, and the town is also known for its folk-music tradition of the saz and the long songs called bozlak, which locals still sing at weddings and gatherings. The medrese now serves as a museum, and a visit takes about an hour, with half a day for the whole town on foot.

Cacabey Medrese, a Seljuk school of 1272 in the centre of Kirsehir in Central Anatolia, about 180 km east of Ankara; coordinates approximate, Kirsehir, Kirsehir, Turkiye

The medrese is normally open most days from about 08:30 to 17:00, with one closed day a week that is often Monday (confirm), and in summer the hours may stretch later. Ticket sales usually stop thirty minutes before closing. The nearby Ahi Evran complex and tomb open between prayer times, and the Kirsehir Museum keeps its own hours. Shops and tea gardens in the town follow market hours, roughly 09:00 to 19:00, and many close earlier on Sunday. Winter days are short, cold and snowy at times, and the courtyard pool may be drained or frozen then.

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