Kubat Pasha Madrasa ( tr, Kubat Paşa Medresesi) is a historic madrasa building in Tarsus district of Mersin Province, southern Turkey.

Location

The madrasa is located in the old city center south of the main street, where some other historical buildings, including the

Grand Mosque of Tarsus Tarsus Grand Mosque ( tr, Tarsus Ulu Cami) is a mosque in Tarsus, Mersin Province, Turkey. Geography The mosque is at the center of Tarsus in ''Camii Nur'' neighbourhood. It is the biggest mosque of Tarsus. It is close to St Paul's Church, ...

Mausoleum of Danyal The Mousoleum of Danyal ( tr, Danyal Makamı) is a small complex in Tarsus, Turkey, consisting of a mosque and a tomb, which is believed to be that of the biblical figure Daniel. Two arches of a Roman bridge were found in the basement of the m ...

and Saint Paul's Church, are also situated. The madrasa building faces the Mausoleum of Danyal to the west.

History

Madrasa was the main religious educational institution in

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

ic countries. The Kubat Pasha Madrasa was founded in 1557 by Kubat Pasha, brother of Piri Pasha, a member of the Ramazanid house and a vassal bey of the Ottoman Empire. In 1517, Ramazanids accepted the suzerainty of the Ottomans. The madrasa underwent many restorations in the past. During the restoration in 1969-1970, it was redesigned to be used as a museum, and it lost some of its original characteristics by this works. In 1999, the

Tarsus Museum Tarsus Museum is an archaeology and ethnography museum in Tarsus, Mersin Province, in southern Turkey. The present location of the museum is in the city's cultural complex known as "75th Anniversary Culture Complex". The complex is in a neighbo ...

was relocated to its present building at the 75th Anniversary Cultural Center. During the restoration works at the Mausoleum of Daniel Mosque, the madrasa building was briefly used as a mosque.

The building

Designed in Seljuk architecture and built in

ashlar masonry Ashlar () is finely dressed (cut, worked) stone, either an individual stone that has been worked until squared, or a structure built from such stones. Ashlar is the finest stone masonry unit, generally rectangular cuboid, mentioned by Vitruvi ...

, the madrasa has a rectangular plan. Originally, the building had two stories with a single iwan around a courtyard. During the restoration works in 1970, the building lost its original form in great extend. It is a small quadrangle with 16 rooms around. The vaulted rooms are fitted each with a fireplace. Entrance to the madrasa is through a decorated portal in the Seljuk architectural style faces southwest. In 2012, the Municipality of Tarsus undertook another restoration at the madrasa. During the works, an inscription in Ancient Greek language, which is assumed to be from the Roman period, was unearthed at the base of the entrance gate.

References

{{commons category, Kubat Pasha Madrasa Madrasas in Turkey Tarsus, Mersin Buildings and structures in Mersin Province Seljuk architecture Buildings and structures of the Ottoman Empire Buildings and structures completed in 1557 1550s establishments in the Ottoman Empire Educational institutions established in the 1550s History of Mersin Province 16th-century madrasas