Isabey Mosque

Isabey Mosque is the oldest and most magnificent product of Turkish (Seljuk) architecture and Anatolian Principalities. The mosque is located on Ayasuluk Hill, where there was an uninterrupted life during the Greek, Roman, Byzantine, and Turkish periods when Selcuk Ephesus was first established. Mosque, Temple of Artemis, and St. It is located in the middle of St. Jean’s Basilica.

Isabey Mosque Hıstory

Isabey Mosque was built by Aydınoğlu Isa Bey in 1375 by Architect Ali İbn-el Dımışkü from Damascus. In the construction of the mosque, some pieces from Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis, especially the columns, gave life to this immortal work created by the Seljuk Turks in Ephesus. (Ephesus was not only the name of the ancient city of Ephesus but also the name of the geography called Selçuk today).
The two entrance doors of the mosque, which were built on an unsymmetrical plan, are on the west and east sides. The western gate is decorated with inscriptions and geometric shapes. The walls in the west direction are made of marble, and the other facades are made of cut stone. Its facade, window edges, and both dome drums are decorated with Seljuk tiles.
One of the two minarets rising above the east and west doors of the mosque was completely destroyed in the earthquake and the other was on the balcony. The roofs of the mosque were also destroyed in the same earthquakes.

Isa Bey Mosque is one of the first examples of Anatolian mosques with its two minarets, a portico, and a courtyard with a fountain. Isa Bey Mosque, which gradually lost its importance with the expansion of the Ottoman Empire and the domination of the Seljuks, was left to its fate for a long time. Mosque in ruins at the end of the 19th century, It was used as a caravanserai in the second half of the 9th century. In this process, the changes applied to the structure caused serious destruction.

The roof and mihrab of the mosque, which was almost completely destroyed in 1975, were reopened for worship after the restoration made by the Foundations in 1990. Although the mosque has lost its original character in some places, it still maintains its splendor and impressiveness.