Orhangazi Mosque in Çayağzı Village

Orhangazi Mosque in Çayağzı Village

How to Get There: Those coming from Istanbul and Ankara should continue 34 kilometers further from Düzce towards Akçakoca. The distance between Akçakoca center and Çayağzı Village, where the historical Orhan Gazi Mosque is located, is 12 kilometers.

The Orhangazi Mosque in Çayağzı Village is known to be the place where Orhan Gazi, one of the founders of the Ottoman Empire, stayed (in 1323 AD) and had a mosque built bearing his name. This cultural heritage site, recorded as the Sultan Orhan Mosque, was restored by the General Directorate of Foundations in 2007 and reopened for worship and visitation. Built 687 years ago using the "çantı" technique, where long logs are interlocked without nails, the Ottoman mosque stands in an area also notable for its turbaned tombstones.

 
In wooden architecture, a rectangular frame is created by making deep notches in the logs or timbers using the "çantı" technique, forming a kind of foundation. Structures built without a foundation are reinforced by placing the frames on large stones. The fact that no nails are used is considered the most important feature of these structures. Nails are not preferred in the "çantı" method to make the timber more durable and long-lasting.