Ince Minaret Madrasa

İnce Minareli Medrese
Central Anatolia
Location
Location	Konya, Turkey
Location in Turkey
Geographic coordinates	37°31′20″N 32°17′33″E / 37.5222°N 32.2924°E / 37.5222; 32.2924
Architecture
Type	Madrasa
Style	Islamic, Seljuk architecture
Completed	1279
Minaret(s)	1

İnce Minareli Medrese (lit. 'Slender

History

The Ince Minaret Medrese was commissioned in 1265 by the Seljuk vizier Ṣāḥib 'Aṭā Fakhr al-Dīn 'Alī, who was one of was one of two major patrons of architecture in Konya in the decades after the city's recapture from the Mongols. Upon his death in 1285, he was buried in his "mosque complex" within the city.^[1]

Architecture

Complex Layout

The Ince Minaret Medrese is built close to the old center of Seljuk rule, at the foot of the citadel hill in Konya.

Typical of medieval Islamic architecture, the integration of the mosque into the medrese's architectural plan is evidence of the complex's multitude of purposes as a religious place of worship and of teaching.[5] The exterior of the complex is made of cut stone, the outer side walls are made of rubble and stone, and the interior uses brick for structural and ornamental purposes.^[6] The use of brick decoration was a common feature of Seljuk buildings due to its connections to traditional Anatolian brick architecture.^[7]

Portal and Facade

The portal of the building is surrounded by highly ornamented stonework which stretches up the entire facade. While other contemporary Seljuk constructions made use of

At the center of the courtyard is the centrally-planned, covered dome. Although central plans were common in late Seljuk architecture, the Ince Minaret Medrese diverged from previous centrally-planned courtyards with the addition of the covered dome space. The large central dome emulates pre-Seljuk Anatolian architecture, specifically earlier mosque plans and the standard Anatolian Byzantine church style.^[5]

The dome itself receives light by means of a lantern, which illuminates the covered courtyard space.^[7] It is supported by four triangular fan pendentives made of exposed brickwork.^[11] The side chambers of the dome are not decorated at all, which increases the striking aesthetic properties of the central space.^[8] The interior of the dome is covered in alternating turquoise and black tiles in geometric patterns that bear an inscription in kufic script.^[8]

Minaret

The Ince Minaret Medrese's name refers to the structure's original extremely tall minaret, which once possessed two balconies. In 1901, however, the minaret was partially destroyed by a lightning strike.^[7] The lightning strike caused the minaret to fall on the complex's mosque, which destroyed its dome and resulted in subsequent repairs using concrete and glass.^[8] The minaret is located near the gateway of the dome. The base of the minaret is square shaped and built out of brick.^[13] As the base goes upward, the square shape gives way to a cylindrical form. Glazed bricks are strategically placed a slight distance apart in a cylindrical geometric pattern, generating an illusion of free-hanging materials.^[7] In addition, green tiles as well as geometric motifs decorate the outer portion of the minaret, creating a distinct Seljuk style of architecture and artwork.^[7] It was common practice for Seljuk buildings to be lined in glazed brick and ornamented with a decorative style.^[7]

Gallery

• 
  Old historical photo of İnce Minareli Medrese
• 
  İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, exterior
• 
  İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, exterior
• 
  Detail of the facade
• 
  The highly ornamented stone facade of the entrance of the İnce Minareli Medrese
• 
  Model of the İnce Minareli Medrese, showing the original height of its minaret
• 
  İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, central room
• 
  İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, double headed Anatolian Seljuk eagle
• 
  İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, imaginary animal relief
• 
  İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, Seljuk architectural fragment
• 
  İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, Seljuk architectural fragment
• 
  İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, Seljuk winged angel
• 
  İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, Beykim Mescit detail
• 
  İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, Hasbey Dar'ül Huffazı door
• 
  İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, mihrab of Ulri Sultan Mescit
• 
  İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, view from the backyard

References

Bibliography

• Blessing, Patricia (2016). Rebuilding Anatolia after the Mongol Conquest: Islamic Architecture in the Lands of Rūm, 1240-1330. Stanford University, USA: Routledge. pp. 21–67.
• Blessing, Patricia, and Rachel Goshgarian. Architecture and Landscape in Medieval Anatolia, 1100–1500 / Edited By Patricia Blessing And Rachel Goshgarian. Edinburgh University Press, 2018.
• Demiralp, Yekta. "Ince Minareli ('Slender Minaret') Madrasa" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2020. http://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;tr;Mon01;8;en
• "Gizlilik Bildirimi - Fikriyat Gazetesi". www.fikriyat.com.
• Hillenbrand, R. (1994), 'Islamic architecture: form, function and meaning', Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
• "Ince Minareli Medrese." Archnet, archnet.org/sites/2048.
• "Ince Minareli Madrasa". Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 1 June 2011.
  hdl:1721.3/65508
  .
• "Ince Minare Madrasa." Muslim Heritage, 3 Dec. 2019, muslimheritage.com/ince-minare-madrasa/.
• Michell, M. et al. (eds.) (1978), 'Architecture of the Islamic World', Thames and Hudson, London.
• Özcan, Koray. "The Anatolian Seljuk City An Analysis on Early Turkish Urban Models in Anatolia." Central Asiatic Journal 54, no. 2 (2010): 273–90. Accessed October 28, 2020.
  JSTOR 4192856
  .
• Schimmel, Annemarie. Islamic Calligraphy, (Brill, 1970).
• "TAŞ VE AHŞAP ESERLERİ MÜZESİ (İNCE MİNARE)." Muze, Government of Turkey, muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?SectionId=KIM01&DistId=MRK.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Ince Minare Museum.

• "İnce Minareli Medrese in Konya". ArchNet. Archived from the original on 2006-02-18. Retrieved 2017-03-15.
• Many pictures from the Ince Minaret museum