The Alaaddin Mosque (Turkish: Alaaddin Cami) is the principal monument on Alaaddin Hill (Alaadin Tepesi) in the centre of

Konya Konya () is a major city in central Turkey, on the southwestern edge of the Central Anatolian Plateau, and is the capital of Konya Province. During antiquity and into Seljuk times it was known as Iconium (), although the Seljuks also called it D ...

Turkey Turkey ( tr, Türkiye ), officially the Republic of Türkiye ( tr, Türkiye Cumhuriyeti, links=no ), is a list of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country located mainly on the Anatolia, Anatolian Peninsula in Western Asia, with ...

. Part of the hilltop citadel complex that contained the Seljuk Palace, it served as the main prayer hall for the Seljuk Sultans of Rum and its courtyard contains the burial places of several of the sultans. It was constructed in stages between the mid-12th and mid-13th centuries. It is the largest of several Seljuk mosques to survive in Konya. Both the mosque and the hill it stands on are named after the Seljuk Sultan Alaaddin Keykubad I (''Alaaddin Tepesi'' and ''Alaaddin Camii'').

The Mosque

The Seljuk Sultan

Mesud I Rukn al-Dīn Mesud ibn Kilij Arslan or Mesud I (Modern tr, I. Rükneddin Mesud or ''Masud'' () was the sultan of the Sultanate of Rûm from 1116 until his death in 1156. Reign Following the defeat and death of his father Kilij Arslan fighting a ...

began work on the mosque in 1155. An inscription dates the fine

ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also contains the persimmons. Unlike most woods, ebony is dense enough to sink in water. It is finely textured and has a mirror finish when ...

minbar A minbar (; sometimes romanized as ''mimber'') is a pulpit in a mosque where the imam (leader of prayers) stands to deliver sermons (, ''khutbah''). It is also used in other similar contexts, such as in a Hussainiya where the speaker sits and le ...

to 1155, making it the first dated example of

Seljuk Seljuk or Saljuq (سلجوق) may refer to: * Seljuk Empire (1051–1153), a medieval empire in the Middle East and central Asia * Seljuk dynasty (c. 950–1307), the ruling dynasty of the Seljuk Empire and subsequent polities * Seljuk (warlord) (di ...

art in

Anatolia Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...

. The polychrome ceramic frame of the

mihrab Mihrab ( ar, محراب, ', pl. ') is a niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the ''qibla'', the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca towards which Muslims should face when praying. The wall in which a ''mihrab'' appears is thus the "qibla w ...

and the dome above it may also date from this period. The eastern wing of the mosque, its pillars constructed with re-used Byzantine columns and capitas, is unusually open and spacious.

's son Kılıçarslan II continued his father's work on the mosque. In 1219

Kaykaus I Kaykaus I or Izz ad-Din Kaykaus ibn Kayhkusraw ( 1ca, كَیکاوس, fa, عز الدين كيكاوس پور كيخسرو ''ʿIzz ad-Dīn Kaykāwūs pour Kaykhusraw'') was the Sultan of Rum from 1211 until his death in 1220. He was the eldest ...

began a major rebuilding programme, moving the main entrance from the west to the north, opposite the mihrab, and adding a monumental façade on the north side, overlooking the city and facing the Seljuk palace. A marble tomb was begun in the courtyard. Kaykaus’ building work was cut short by his death in the same year, only to be resumed by his brother and successor Alaaddin Keykubad I, Keykubad had several of his brother's inscriptions altered and claimed all the improvements to the mosque for himself. In 1235 he added a large room, supported by forty-two columns, to the east of the mihrab. The mosque takes its name from Keykubad. The

minaret A minaret (; ar, منارة, translit=manāra, or ar, مِئْذَنة, translit=miʾḏana, links=no; tr, minare; fa, گل‌دسته, translit=goldaste) is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generall ...

, the marble mihrab (1891) and the eastern door, through which most visitors enter the mosque, date from the Ottoman period. The courtyard of the mosque contains two typically Seljuk tombs (''kümbets''), one built by Kilicarslan II and still retaining some blue tiles on its roof. The base of the roof of one of the tombs carries the

throne verse The Throne verse ( ar, آيَةُ ٱلْكُرْسِيِّ, ''Ayat Al-Kursi'') is the 255th verse of the 2nd chapter of the Quran, Al-Baqarah ( Q2:255). The verse speaks about how nothing and nobody is regarded to be comparable to Allah. Thi ...

from the Qur’an. Konya_Alaeddin_Mosque_mihrab_3617_10_10

Inscriptions

Over the main entrance to the mosque an inscription attributes its completion to

Sultan Sultan (; ar, سلطان ', ) is a position with several historical meanings. Originally, it was an Arabic abstract noun meaning "strength", "authority", "rulership", derived from the verbal noun ', meaning "authority" or "power". Later, it ...

Alaaddin Keykubad I in the year 617 H (1220-221). To the right another inscription credits the same sultan as responsible for both the mosque and the tombs. Another inscription mentions the Syrian craftsman Muhammad ben Khaulan of Damascus. Inscriptions on the facade also show the names of Alaaddin, Izzeddin Keykavus, and the

Atabeg Atabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility of Turkic origin, indicating a governor of a nation or province who was subordinate to a monarch and charged with raising the crown prince. The first instance of the title's use was wit ...

who was responsible for work on the mosque during both Alaaddin's and Izzeddin's reigns. Izzeddin was responsible for constructing the main prayer hall of the mosque. Alaeddin_Mosque_-_Inscription

Tombs of the Seljuk Sultans

The courtyard of the Alaeddin Mosque contains two monumental

mausolea A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or people. A mausoleum without the person's remains is called a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be consid ...

, known as ''

türbe ''Türbe'' is the Turkish word for "tomb". In Istanbul it is often used to refer to the mausolea of the Ottoman sultans and other nobles and notables. The word is derived from the Arabic ''turbah'' (meaning ''"soil/ground/earth"''), which ...

'' or ''kümbets''. According to an inscription on its façade, Kilijçarslan II commissioned a ten-sided tomb with a conical roof which became the burial place of the Seljuk dynasty, housing the

sarcophagi A sarcophagus (plural sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a box-like funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek ...

of eight of the Seljuk Sultans of Rum: * Rukneddin Mesud I (d. 1156) * Izzeddin Kiliçarslan II (d. 1196) * Suleiman Shah (d. 1204) * Gıyaseddin Kayhusrew I (d. 1210) * Alaaddin Keykubad I (d. 1237) * Gıyaseddin Kayhusrew II (d. 1246) * Rukneddin Kiliçarslan IV (d. 1266) * Gıyaseddin Kayhusrew II (d. 1283). A second octagonal mausoleum was begun by

but was still unfinished at the time of his death in 1219. This unfinished marble mausoleum is known as the ''Adsız Türbe'', or the "Nameless Mausoleum," since the names of those buried inside it are unknown.

Recent history

In 1945, the mosque was administered by the Ministry of Education which converted it into a museum along with the Karatay Madresesi. Until 1951, the mosque was administered by the General Directorate of Pious Endowments (Vakıflar Genel Müdürlüğü). In 1952 the museum became a mosque again but disputes over its status continued because the courtyard was now owned by General Directorate of Antiquities and Museums (Eski Eserler ve Müzeler Genel Müdürlüğü).Önge, Mustafa. "Conservation of Cultural Heritage on Alaeddin Hill in Konya from the 19th Century to Present Day." 184. Unpublished Ph.D Thesis from Metu, 2011.

Restoration

During the Second World War the mosque was used for storing army equipment. No attempt to restore it until after the end of the Was. During a four-year restoration process lead sheets and heavy concrete slabs with waterproof layering were laid over the dome of the western section. In 2014 work began on a complete restoration of the mosque as part of a wider project to restore the remaining traces of the old Seljuk palace. By 2020 the work was almost complete.

Gallery

File:Alaeddin Mosque Konya Turkey 1849 engraving.jpg, alt=Alâeddin Mosque in an 1849 engraving, Alaaddin Mosque in an engraving of 1849 File:Alaeddin Mosque (Konya) 4170.jpg, alt=Alaeddin Mosque From side, Alaeddin Mosque from the side File:Turkey, Konya - Alaeddin Mosque 02.jpg, alt=Interior, Prayer hall of the mosque File:Turkey, Konya - Alaeddin Mosque 03.jpg, Mihrab File:Turkey, Konya - Alaeddin Mosque 04.jpg, Dome File:Turkey, Konya - Alaeddin Mosque 05.jpg, Minbar File:Alaeddin Mosque (Konya) 2340.jpg, alt=Alaeddin Mosque Minber, Alaaddin Mosque Minber File:Alaeddin Mosque - Inscription.JPG, Inscription File:Alaeddin Mosque (Konya) 2272.jpg, alt=Alaeddin Mosque Building inscription, Inscription on Alaaddin Mosque File:Alaeddin Mosque (Konya) 2274.jpg, alt=Alaeddin Mosque Building inscription, Inscription on Alaaddin Mosque File:Alaaddin Mosque (6526103573).jpg, alt=Gate, Main entrance to Alaaddin Mosque File:Carpet with Double Medallion.jpg, Carpet

References

Sources

External links

* * {{Authority control Seljuk mosques in Turkey Seljuk dynasty Burial sites of Turkic dynasties Burial sites of Middle Eastern royal families Mosques in Konya Mosques completed in 1235 Mosque buildings with domes Former churches in Turkey