Publication Date
10 Shawwal 775 / 13 March 1375
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;tr;Mon01;11;ar
Library Location
Selcuk, Izmir, Türkiye
Date
10 Shawwal 775 / 13 March 1375
Notes
The İsaybey Mosque was built on a hillside in Selcuk, and occupies an approximate area of 48.68 x 56.53 square metres. The mosque consists of a prayer hall consisting of two altars, and a rectangular courtyard adjacent to it from the north. Each of its eastern, western and northern walls has entrances. Previously there were two minarets, one above the western entrance and the other above the eastern entrance, and the latter no longer exists. The topography of the site had an impact on the design of the northern and eastern sides of the building, whose simple walls contain some windows. While there are two rows of windows in the western and southern walls. As for the stairs leading to the western gate, they are surrounded by niches in the wall. The remaining traces suggest that the courtyard adjacent to the prayer hall from the north included corridors on three sides and a water path. Today, only the columns remain, which consist of previous architectural elements that were reused in this building. The prayer hall is entered through a triple opening located in the center of the northern wall. The entrance is flanked on both sides by an opening with a pointed arch, and both openings are closed today with glass panels. The rectangular prayer hall is divided into two passages extending parallel to the wall of the mihrab, and one passage perpendicular to the mihrab. The two niches parallel to the mihrab are covered by a sloping roof, while the vertical niche is covered by two domes resting on two cylindrical necks, which in turn are based on spherical triangles. The two passages are separated by pointed arches built of brick, supported by four granite columns. Three of these massive columns are topped with muqarnas capitals, and the fourth is topped by a capital reused in this building. The two central columns are supported by identical arches that connect the northern and southern walls, and define the vertical passage on the wall of the mihrab. The northern, southern and eastern walls were built, with a little care, from carved square stones, limestone and reused marble. As for the western wall, it is distinguished from the other walls by its artistic design, the ingenuity of its implementation, and the materials used in it. We see in it an entrance and two rows of windows that were completed with remarkable skill. The windows, with their different dimensions and shapes, include an intricate decoration of muqarnas, inlay with colored stones, and intricate drawings. The same marble and colored stone decoration was also used on the huge entrance to this wall. Unfortunately, the rich decoration of the interior no longer exists today. The original mihrab and pulpit made of stone were also lost. Only the geometric formations on the mosaics that adorn the spherical triangles of the dome in front of the mihrab remain. The Isabey Mosque occupies a prominent place in Turkish Anatolian architecture, both for its plan and its decoration. While its plan is reminiscent of the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, the colored stone decoration of the entrance and windows shows the influence of Mamluk and Zengid artistic works. These details are coupled with the fact that engineer Ali bin Al-Dimashqi is a Syrian from Damascus. The Isa Bey Mosque is considered a rare example of architecture during the era of the Emirates, before the Ottoman era, which is most evident in the courtyard with porticoes on three sides, which is considered one of the first examples of this style, and in the two minarets.
Sample Text
"Isa Bey Mosque" within Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;tr;Mon01;11;ar
