The Alâeddin Mosque ( Turkish: Alâeddin Camii) 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. In 19th-century accounts of the city in En ...

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

. 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'').

History

Alaeddin Hill

The Alâeddin Hill was known as Kawania and Kaoania Hill in antiquity. The Eflatun Mescidi, the converted

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also known as the Eastern Roman Empire, was the continuation of the Roman Empire centred on Constantinople during late antiquity and the Middle Ages. Having survived the events that caused the fall of the Western Roman E ...

church of Ayios Amphilochios, used to share the hill with the mosque before the 1920's.Scott Redford, ''The Alâeddin Mosque in Konya Reconsidered'', Artibus Asiae, Vol. 51, No. 1/2, 1991:54 The Alaaddin Mosque itself was likely built on the site of a former

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

, a hypothesis supported by 20th-century excavations and by the ancient

spolia ''Spolia'' (Latin for 'spoils'; : ''spolium'') are stones taken from an old structure and repurposed for new construction or decorative purposes. It is the result of an ancient and widespread practice (spoliation) whereby stone that has been quar ...

re-used inside the mosque.Scott Redford, ''The Alâeddin Mosque in Konya Reconsidered'', Artibus Asiae, Vol. 51, No. 1/2, 1991:57 The complex lies near the artificial city mound where the ancient acropolis of the city once stood.

The Mosque

The Seljuk Sultan Mesud I began work on the mosque in 1155. Though there is evidence of it dating earlier to the years of 1120. An inscription dates the fine

ebony Ebony is a dense black/brown hardwood, coming from several species in the genus '' Diospyros'', which also includes the persimmon tree. A few ''Diospyros'' species, such as macassar and mun ebony, are dense enough to sink in water. Ebony is fin ...

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 (, ''Selcuk'') or Saljuq (, ''Saljūq'') 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 * S ...

art in

Anatolia Anatolia (), also known as Asia Minor, is a peninsula in West Asia that makes up the majority of the land area of Turkey. It is the westernmost protrusion of Asia and is geographically bounded by the Mediterranean Sea to the south, the Aegean ...

. The polychrome ceramic frame of the

mihrab ''Mihrab'' (, ', 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'' wall". ...

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 capitals, is unusually open and spacious. Mesud I's son Kılıçarslan II continued his father's work on the mosque. In 1219 Kaykaus I 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 now takes its name from Keykubad. Keykubad further built a protective structure around the Mosque et the

Palace A palace is a large residence, often serving as a royal residence or the home for a head of state or another high-ranking dignitary, such as a bishop or archbishop. The word is derived from the Latin name palātium, for Palatine Hill in Rome whi ...

, the Konya citadel. The

minaret A minaret is a type of tower typically built into or adjacent to mosques. Minarets are generally used to project the Muslim call to prayer (''adhan'') from a muezzin, but they also served as landmarks and symbols of Islam's presence. They can h ...

, 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 from the

Qur'an The Quran, also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation directly from God ('' Allāh''). It is organized in 114 chapters (, ) which consist of individual verses ('). Besides ...

Inscriptions

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

Sultan Sultan (; ', ) 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 came to be use ...

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 façade also show the names of Alaaddin, Izzeddin Keykavus, and the

Atabeg Atabeg, Atabek, or Atabey is a hereditary title of nobility of Turkic language, 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 ti ...

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, known as ''

türbe ''Türbe'' refers to a Muslim mausoleum, tomb or grave often in the Turkish-speaking areas and for the mausolea of Ottoman sultans, nobles and notables. A typical türbe is located in the grounds of a mosque or complex, often endowed by the ...

'' 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 (: sarcophagi or sarcophaguses) is a coffin, most commonly carved in stone, and usually displayed above ground, though it may also be buried. The word ''sarcophagus'' comes from the Greek σάρξ ' meaning "flesh", and φ� ...

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 III (d. 1283). A second octagonal mausoleum was begun by Kaykaus I 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 was made to restore it until after the end of the War. 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 Burial sites of Middle Eastern royal families Mosques in Konya Buildings and structures completed in 1235 Mosques completed in the 1230s Mosque buildings with domes in Turkey Former churches in Turkey Mosque buildings with minarets in Turkey