Alaeddin Mosque
Encyclopedia
Alâeddin Mosque is the principal monument on the citadel of Konya
, Turkey
. The building served as the “Mosque of the Throne” for the Seljuq Sultans of Rum and contains the dynastic mausoleum. It was constructed in stages between the mid-12th and mid-13th centuries. Both the citadel and the mosque bear the name of sultan 'Ala al-Din Kayqubad I (Alâeddin Tepesi and Alâeddin Camii).
on the site was converted into a mosque following the capture of the city in 1080. Much of the building material and architectural ornament incorporated in later rebuilding, especially column
s and capitals
, was salvaged from this basilica and other nearby Byzantine
structures.
Evidence of an early building program dates from the time of Mesud I. An inscription dates the fine, ebony
minbar
to 1155; the minbar is the first dated example of Seljuq
art in Anatolia
. The polychrome ceramic frame of the mihrab
and the dome above may date to this period.
Kaykaus I
began a major rebuilding program in 1219. He changed the main entrance from the west to the north, opposite the mihrab. He added a monumental façade on the north side, overlooking the city and facing the Seljuq palace. A marble tomb was begun in the courtyard. Kaykaus’ building was cut short by his death in the same year, only to be resumed thereafter by his brother and successor Kayqubad I. Kayqubad had several of his brother's inscriptions altered and claimed 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 minaret
, the marble mihrab (1891), and the eastern door, through which most visitors enter the mosque, date from the Ottoman
period.
or türbe
. According to an inscription on the façade, Kilij Arslan II
built the decahedral tomb with the conical roof. This mausoleum became the burial place of the Seljuq dynasty and houses the sarcophagi
of eight of the Seljuq sultans of Rum:
The second mausoleum was begun by Kaykaus I
but left unfinished at the time of the sultan’s death (d. 1219). The tomb is octagonal and constructed from marble. This unfinished mausoleum is known as Adsız Türbe, or the "Anonymous Mausoleum," since the names of those buried within are unknown. Mummified corpses are on view.
Konya
Konya is a city in the Central Anatolia Region of Turkey. The metropolitan area in the entire Konya Province had a population of 1,036,027 as of 2010, making the city seventh most populous in Turkey.-Etymology:...
, Turkey
Turkey
Turkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey , is a Eurasian country located in Western Asia and in East Thrace in Southeastern Europe...
. The building served as the “Mosque of the Throne” for the Seljuq Sultans of Rum and contains the dynastic mausoleum. It was constructed in stages between the mid-12th and mid-13th centuries. Both the citadel and the mosque bear the name of sultan 'Ala al-Din Kayqubad I (Alâeddin Tepesi and Alâeddin Camii).
The Mosque
Following typical Seljuq procedure, a Christian basilicaBasilica
The Latin word basilica , was originally used to describe a Roman public building, usually located in the forum of a Roman town. Public basilicas began to appear in Hellenistic cities in the 2nd century BC.The term was also applied to buildings used for religious purposes...
on the site was converted into a mosque following the capture of the city in 1080. Much of the building material and architectural ornament incorporated in later rebuilding, especially column
Column
A column or pillar in architecture and structural engineering is a vertical structural element that transmits, through compression, the weight of the structure above to other structural elements below. For the purpose of wind or earthquake engineering, columns may be designed to resist lateral forces...
s and capitals
Capital (architecture)
In architecture the capital forms the topmost member of a column . It mediates between the column and the load thrusting down upon it, broadening the area of the column's supporting surface...
, was salvaged from this basilica and other nearby Byzantine
Byzantine architecture
Byzantine architecture is the architecture of the Byzantine Empire. The empire gradually emerged as a distinct artistic and cultural entity from what is today referred to as the Roman Empire after AD 330, when the Roman Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire east from Rome to...
structures.
Evidence of an early building program dates from the time of Mesud I. An inscription dates the fine, ebony
Ebony
Ebony is a dense black wood, most commonly yielded by several species in the genus Diospyros, but ebony may also refer to other heavy, black woods from unrelated species. Ebony is dense enough to sink in water. Its fine texture, and very smooth finish when polished, make it valuable as an...
minbar
Minbar
A minbar is a pulpit in the mosque where the imam stands to deliver sermons or in the Hussainia where the speaker sits and lectures the congregation...
to 1155; the minbar is the first dated example of Seljuq
Seljuq dynasty
The Seljuq ; were a Turco-Persian Sunni Muslim dynasty that ruled parts of Central Asia and the Middle East from the 11th to 14th centuries...
art in Anatolia
Anatolia
Anatolia is a geographic and historical term denoting the westernmost protrusion of Asia, comprising the majority of the Republic of Turkey...
. The polychrome ceramic frame of the mihrab
Mihrab
A mihrab is semicircular niche in the wall of a mosque that indicates the qibla; that is, the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca and hence the direction that Muslims should face when praying...
and the dome above may date to this period.
Kaykaus I
Kaykaus I
Kaykaus I or Kayka'us I or Keykavus I was the Sultanate of Rum from 1211 until his death in 1220. He was the eldest son of Kaykhusraw I.-Succession:...
began a major rebuilding program in 1219. He changed the main entrance from the west to the north, opposite the mihrab. He added a monumental façade on the north side, overlooking the city and facing the Seljuq palace. A marble tomb was begun in the courtyard. Kaykaus’ building was cut short by his death in the same year, only to be resumed thereafter by his brother and successor Kayqubad I. Kayqubad had several of his brother's inscriptions altered and claimed 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 minaret
Minaret
A minaret مناره , sometimes مئذنه) is a distinctive architectural feature of Islamic mosques, generally a tall spire with an onion-shaped or conical crown, usually either free standing or taller than any associated support structure. The basic form of a minaret includes a base, shaft, and gallery....
, the marble mihrab (1891), and the eastern door, through which most visitors enter the mosque, date from the Ottoman
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman EmpireIt was usually referred to as the "Ottoman Empire", the "Turkish Empire", the "Ottoman Caliphate" or more commonly "Turkey" by its contemporaries...
period.
Sultans buried in the Mosque
The courtyard of Alâeddin Mosque encloses two monumental mausoleaMausoleum
A mausoleum is an external free-standing building constructed as a monument enclosing the interment space or burial chamber of a deceased person or persons. A monument without the interment is a cenotaph. A mausoleum may be considered a type of tomb or the tomb may be considered to be within the...
or türbe
Turbe
Türbe is the Turkish word for "tomb", and for the characteristic mausoleums, often relatively small, of Ottoman royalty and notables. It is related to the Arabic turba, which can also mean a mausoleum, but more often a funerary complex, or a plot in a cemetery.-Characteristics:A typical türbe...
. According to an inscription on the façade, Kilij Arslan II
Kilij Arslan II
Kilij Arslan II was a Seljuk Sultan of Rûm from 1156 until his death in 1192.As Arnold of Lübeck reports in his Chronica Slavorum, he was present at the meeting of Henry the Lion with Kilij-Arslan during the former's pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1172...
built the decahedral tomb with the conical roof. This mausoleum became the burial place of the Seljuq dynasty and houses the sarcophagi
Sarcophagus
A sarcophagus is a funeral receptacle for a corpse, most commonly carved or cut from stone. The word "sarcophagus" comes from the Greek σαρξ sarx meaning "flesh", and φαγειν phagein meaning "to eat", hence sarkophagus means "flesh-eating"; from the phrase lithos sarkophagos...
of eight of the Seljuq sultans of Rum:
- Mesud I (d. 1156)
- Kilij Arslan IIKilij Arslan IIKilij Arslan II was a Seljuk Sultan of Rûm from 1156 until his death in 1192.As Arnold of Lübeck reports in his Chronica Slavorum, he was present at the meeting of Henry the Lion with Kilij-Arslan during the former's pilgrimage to Jerusalem in 1172...
(d. 1196) - Süleymanshah IISüleymanshah IISuleiman II aka Rukn ad-Din Suleiman Shah , was the Seljuk Sultan of Rûm between 1196–1204.Son of Kilij Arslan II, he overthrew his brother, Sultan Kaykhusraw I who had succeeded their father in 1192 and became sultan in 1196....
(d. 1204) - Kaykhusraw I (d. 1210)
- Kayqubad I (d. 1236)
- Kaykhusraw IIKaykhusraw IIGhiyath al-Din Kaykhusraw II was the sultan of the Seljuqs of Rûm from 1237 until his death in 1246. He ruled at the time of the Babai uprising and the Mongol invasion of Anatolia. He led the Seljuq army with its Christian allies at the Battle of Köse Dağ in 1243...
(d. 1246) - Kilij Arslan IVKilij Arslan IVKilij Arslan IV was Seljuq Sultan of Rûm after the death of his father Kaykhusraw II in 1246. For part of his tenure as sultan he ruled with his two brothers Kaykaus II and Kayqubad II. He was executed in 1266 by the Pervane Mu‘in al-Din Suleyman.-Sources:...
(d. 1266) - Kaykhusraw IIIKaykhusraw IIIKaykhusraw III was between two and six years old when in 1265 he was named Seljuq Sultan of Rûm...
(d. 1283).
The second mausoleum was begun by Kaykaus I
Kaykaus I
Kaykaus I or Kayka'us I or Keykavus I was the Sultanate of Rum from 1211 until his death in 1220. He was the eldest son of Kaykhusraw I.-Succession:...
but left unfinished at the time of the sultan’s death (d. 1219). The tomb is octagonal and constructed from marble. This unfinished mausoleum is known as Adsız Türbe, or the "Anonymous Mausoleum," since the names of those buried within are unknown. Mummified corpses are on view.
See also
- Kubadabad PalaceKubadabad PalaceKubadabad Palace or Kubad Abad Palace refers to a complex of summer residences built for the sultan and his court during the reign of the sultan of the Sultanate of Rum Kayqubad I...
- Saint Amphilochius (Konya)Saint Amphilochius (Konya)Saint Amphilochius was a church that, until the 1920s, stood on the citadel of Konya, Turkey. The church was venerated by both Greeks and Turks, and was discussed by the scholar F.W. Hasluck.-Sources:...
- Karatay MedreseKaratay MedreseKaratay Medrese is a medrese, meaning a school with a frequently but not absolutely religious focus, built in Konya, Turkey, in 1251 by the Emir of the city Celaleddin Karatay, serving the Seljuk sultan....
, Konya - Ince Minaret Medrese, Konya