İsa Bey Mosque explained

Building Name:İsa Bey Mosque
Location:Selçuk, Turkey
Religious Affiliation:Islam
Region:Aegean Region
Province:İzmir
District:Selçuk
Architect:Şamlı Dımışklıoğlu Ali
Architecture Type:Mosque
Architecture Style:Islamic, Seljuk
Year Completed:1374–75
Length:56m (184feet)
Width:48m (157feet)
Dome Quantity:2
Dome Dia Outer:9.4m (30.8feet) and 8.4m (27.6feet)
Minaret Quantity:1
Materials:cut stone, marble, brick

The İsa Bey Mosque (Turkish: İsa Bey Camii), constructed in 1374–75,[1] is one of the oldest and most impressive works of architectural art remaining from the Anatolian beyliks. The mosque is situated on the outskirts of the Ayasluğ Hills at Selçuk, İzmir.

History

It was built by the Syrian architect, 'Ali b. Mushaimish al Dimashki, in honor of the Aydinid Isa Bey.[2] [3] The plans for the mosque are based on the Great Mosque of Damascus.[4]

By 1829, the mosque was in ruins and by 1842 the minaret had fallen down.[5] In the 19th century, it was also used as a caravanserai. There is an octagonal Seljuk türbe made of stone and bricks, with a pyramid shaped roof, right next to the mosque.

Architecture

The mosque has two main entrances, to the east and to the west and contains a fountain court.[4] The western wall has inscriptions and geometric shapes engraved. These walls are covered with marble, whereas the façades on the remaining sides are made of cut stone. It is built asymmetrically on a 48by base. The rims of its domes, with diameters of 9.4m (30.8feet) and 8.1m (26.6feet), are decorated with İznik (Nicaea) tiles. Twelve round columns stand inside its courtyard encircled with porches. Its brick minaret 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 (niche or altar) was moved to another mosque, due to a door opened there.

See also

References

External links

Notes and References

  1. The Evolution of Architectural Form in Turkish Mosques (1300-1700), Suut Kemal Yetkin, Studia Islamica, No. 11 (1959), 76-77.
  2. Bloom . Jonathan M. . On the Transmission of Designs in Early Islamic Architecture . Muqarnas . 1993 . 10 . 21–28 . 10.2307/1523168. 1523168 .
  3. Book: Behrens-Abouseif, Doris . The Arts of the Mamluks in Egypt and Syria: Evolution and Impact . 2012 . V&R unipress GmbH . 978-3-89971-915-4 . en.
  4. Book: Bloom. Jonathan. Blair. Sheila S.. Blair. Sheila. Grove Encyclopedia of Islamic Art & Architecture: Three-Volume Set. 14 May 2009. OUP USA. 978-0-19-530991-1. 142–143.
  5. Michael Greenhalgh, From the Romans to the Railways: The Fate of Antiquities in Asia Minor, (Brill, 2013), 90.