İnce Minareli Medrese

The İnce Minareli Madrasa is a Seljuk building that stands just west of Alaeddin Hill and is used today as the Museum of Stone and Wood Works. According to the Kültür Portalı, the madrasa was commissioned by the vizier Sahib Ata Fahreddin Ali during the reign of İzzeddin Keykavus II as a school for the study of hadith. Its construction date is not certain in the sources; the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam notes that the building is mentioned in the 1265 section of its endowment deed, so it must have been finished before that year. For this reason the building is also known as the Sahib Ata Darülhadis. Its architect was Kölük bin Abdullah, whose name can be read in two medallions on the portal. The building belongs to the Seljuk group of madrasas with a covered courtyard, that is a courtyard roofed by a dome, and it has a single iwan and a single storey. It is one of three madrasas in Konya whose courtyard is domed. It takes its name from the slender minaret decorated with glazed bricks that rose from the facade of the small prayer hall attached to its north-east corner. The minaret originally had two balconies and was quite tall in proportion to the building. A lightning strike in 1901 brought down the part above the first balcony and damaged the dome of the adjoining prayer hall. The damaged hall stood for many years before it was removed entirely in 1929. What made the building famous is the portal on its east facade. The TDV Encyclopedia of Islam describes it as one of the grandest portals built in Anatolia in the Seljuk period. The portal is set in front of a block that projects about 5.45 metres from the facade. Two broad bands of inscription run across its surface, knotting as they climb and joining above the arch. The Kültür Portalı notes that this dense use of lettering makes the portal a rare design in the history of calligraphy. The way the bands are cut off at the top shows that the portal was once taller and that its upper part has been lost. From the portal one passes into an entrance hall with a cross vault, and from there into the square, domed courtyard. The sides of the courtyard measure 10.80 metres and there is a fountain basin in the middle. The transition to the dome is made with fan-shaped triangular surfaces known as Turkish triangles. The inside of the dome is decorated with turquoise, brown and dark blue glazed bricks laid to form zigzag and lozenge patterns. The TDV Encyclopedia of Islam writes that this plain interior stands almost in contrast to the richness of the portal. Opposite the entrance is the main iwan, measuring 7.40 by 6 metres and reached from the courtyard by three steps. Student rooms once lined the two sides of the courtyard, and the surviving traces show there were eight in all. The arch corners of the room doors are decorated in the mosaic technique with turquoise and light brown tiles forming star and geometric motifs. The shaft of the minaret is also covered in a fluted pattern of glazed bricks and tile pieces. The madrasa remained in use until the end of the 19th century and was repaired in 1876 and 1899. In the Republican period, after repairs that began in 1936, it opened in 1956 as the Museum of Stone and Wood Works. In 2014 it was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List under the heading Anatolian Seljuk Madrasas. The museum displays construction and repair inscriptions carved in stone and marble from the Seljuk and Karamanid periods. The high reliefs that came from Konya Castle are the best way to see up close the stone decoration that once adorned the walls and gates. The largest and finest examples of the double-headed eagle, known as the emblem of Seljuk Konya, and of winged figure reliefs are also here. Wooden door and window leaves carved with geometric and floral motifs, along with wooden ceiling centrepieces, show how advanced Seljuk woodwork was. It is a good idea to begin the visit from the pavement opposite the portal; only from there can the full height of the portal and the minaret be seen in a single frame. Because morning light falls on the east-facing facade, the reliefs read more clearly at that time of day. Inside, do not forget to step under the dome and look up to study the pattern of glazed brick. The madrasa sits at the western foot of Alaeddin Hill and is a few minutes' walk from the tram line that circles the hill. For current visiting hours and admission conditions, consult the official website of the General Directorate of Museums.