Gogceli Mosque The Gogceli Mosque, located in the town of Carsamba in Samsun, Turkey, is believed to be the oldest surviving wooden mosque in Turkey. It is located in the Gogceli Cemetery in the Cay neighborhood. The mosque's age has been verified through architectural analysis of its design and construction style. According to researchers from outside the country, wooden samples taken from the building suggest that the mosque dates back to 1206 and was repaired in 1335. The building's beams extending towards portico sections were connected using only wrought-iron nails rather than wood plugs. The mosque was constructed using various types of trees such as elm, ash, and chestnut. These were used for many parts of the building, including poles on the walls, pole heads, beams, rafters, and roof supports. The planks used for the walls are approximately 15-18 cm thick, 50-70 cm wide, and around 12 to 20 meters long. To prevent ventilation and decay of the structure, the bottom of the building has been excavated to a certain depth. As a result of the building's age, the interior decorations have faded and fallen from their original positions. The northern section of the mosque has a slightly curved design with an arched ceiling, while the roof of another section has three shoulders and is covered with Turkish-style tiles. A restoration project in 2007 confirmed the authenticity of the preservation system used during the construction of the mosque, as well as important features such as the use of rafters and hand-drawn embroidery (in which madder was applied) on the roof boards. The artisans who built the mosque used different color schemes, patterns, and designs on almost every piece they created. What sets this artwork apart is that most of it was done using herbs and plants native to the region. The sculpture stonework in the sanctuary has ornaments that feature stylized arches, curvy branches and flowers, or snake-like curved branch extensions. The quality of these decorations varies, with the odd ocher shapes on the rafters being of lesser quality than other ornaments. Other carvings present on capitals and consoles in the sanctuary have poorer craftsmanship than usual, appearing like rough woodwork colored by dark paint.