Isa Bey Mosque in Selcuk Castle

The Isa Bey Mosque was erected in 1375 by the order of Isa Bey of the Aydinogullari Emirate. It is situated in Selcuk town, beneath the Selcuk Castle, along with the Basilica of St. John and nearby the ancient city of Ephesus. Isa Bey Mosque is not only one of the most beautiful examples of Anatolian mosque architecture, reflecting the Seljuk style, but it is also known to be one of the oldest mosques with a courtyard. The columns in the courtyard and the stone pieces in the construction are reused materials; they were brought from the Ephesus site and the Temple of Artemis.

Isa Bey Mosque Carved Gravestones

In the Isa Bey Mosque, the minarets were located in the west and east corners of the actual area of worship. The mosque was covered with two central domes displaying such elements of the Selcuk architecture as the pendentives and stalactites of the window moldings, fiance mosaics, and painted tiles. The mosque included two lateral aisles. The minaret, on the east, was already destroyed. Today only the western minaret, made of bricks, remains standing in part.

The monumental entrance from the western gate, one of the two gates, was made of beautiful white and yellowish stone and surrounded by carved molding. Once entered is a colonnaded courtyard consisting of 12 columns, which constitute the porticoes. In the center of the courtyard, there is a fountain where people can perform their ablution before praying. Inside the mosque was the pulpit, the speaker’s stand facing the congregation, and the mihrab, which was covered by two domes, the niche pointing out the direction of the Kaaba in Mecca for the prayer. Later used as a caravanserai, the Isa Bey Mosque was restored in 1934.

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