The İsa Bey Mosque ( tr, İsa Bey Camii), constructed in 1374–75, is one of the oldest and most impressive works of architectural art remaining from the

Anatolian beyliks Anatolian beyliks ( tr, Anadolu beylikleri, Ottoman Turkish: ''Tavâif-i mülûk'', ''Beylik'' ) were small principalities (or petty kingdoms) in Anatolia governed by beys, the first of which were founded at the end of the 11th century. A se ...

. The

mosque A mosque (; from ar, مَسْجِد, masjid, ; literally "place of ritual prostration"), also called masjid, is a place of prayer for Muslims. Mosques are usually covered buildings, but can be any place where prayers ( sujud) are performed, ...

is situated on the outskirts of the Ayasluğ Hills at Selçuk,

İzmir İzmir ( , ; ), also spelled Izmir, is a metropolitan city in the western extremity of Anatolia, capital of the province of the same name. It is the third most populous city in Turkey, after Istanbul and Ankara and the second largest urban aggl ...

History

It was built by the

architect An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...

, 'Ali b. Mushaimish Dımışklıoğlu, in honor of the Aydinid İsa Bey. The plans for the mosque are based on the Great Mosque of Damascus. The mosque has two main entrances, to the east and to the west and contains a fountain court. The western wall has inscriptions and geometric shapes engraved. These walls are covered with

marble Marble is a metamorphic rock composed of recrystallized carbonate minerals, most commonly calcite or dolomite. Marble is typically not foliated (layered), although there are exceptions. In geology, the term ''marble'' refers to metamorphose ...

, whereas the

façade A façade () (also written facade) is generally the front part or exterior of a building. It is a loan word from the French (), which means ' frontage' or ' face'. In architecture, the façade of a building is often the most important aspect ...

s on the remaining sides are made of cut stone. It is built asymmetrically on a base. The rims of its

domes A dome () is an architectural element similar to the hollow upper half of a sphere. There is significant overlap with the term cupola, which may also refer to a dome or a structure on top of a dome. The precise definition of a dome has been a m ...

, with diameters of and , are decorated with İznik (Nicaea)

tile Tiles are usually thin, square or rectangular coverings manufactured from hard-wearing material such as ceramic, stone, metal, baked clay, or even glass. They are generally fixed in place in an array to cover roofs, floors, walls, edges, or ...

s. Twelve round columns stand inside its

courtyard A courtyard or court is a circumscribed area, often surrounded by a building or complex, that is open to the sky. Courtyards are common elements in both Western and Eastern building patterns and have been used by both ancient and contemporary ...

encircled with porches. Its

brick A brick is a type of block used to build walls, pavements and other elements in masonry construction. Properly, the term ''brick'' denotes a block composed of dried clay, but is now also used informally to denote other chemically cured cons ...

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 ...

is built on an octagonal base, and the upper part from the balcony is ruined. The mosque had another minaret on the west, which is totally destroyed now. 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 ...

(niche or altar) was moved to another mosque, due to a door opened there. There is an octagonal Seljuk türbe made of stone and bricks, with a

pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilate ...

shaped roof, right next to the mosque. By 1829, the mosque was in ruins and by 1842 the minaret had fallen down.Michael Greenhalgh, ''From the Romans to the Railways: The Fate of Antiquities in Asia Minor'', (Brill, 2013), 90. In the 19th century, it was also used as a caravanserai.

Gallery

File:IsabeySelcukToraußen1.jpg, Entrance of the courtyard File:IsabeySelcukEingangGebetsraum.jpg, Entrance of the mosque File:Selcuk 3.jpg, Interior of the mosque File:Ephesos Ayasoluk Isa Bey Mosque.svg, Plan

Notes

References

*Bayrak, Orhan M. (1994). p. 407, ''Türkiye Tarihi Yerler Rehberi'' (expanded 3rd edition). İnkılâp Kitabevi. .

External links

History and architecture of İsabey Mosque with many photos

Images of the İsabey Mosque

Over 30 pictures of the mosque

A visit to the Isa Bey Mosque - Photos included
{{DEFAULTSORT:Isa Bey Mosque Mosques in İzmir Mosques completed in 1375 Anatolian Beyliks architecture Mosque buildings with domes

History

Gallery

See also

Notes

References

External links