Karatay Medresesi

The Karatay Madrasa is a Seljuk madrasa standing at the foot of Alaeddin Hill and used since 1955 as the Tile Museum. According to the inscription on its portal, the building was commissioned in 1251, during the reign of İzzeddin Keykavus II, by the emir Celaleddin Karatay. The sources differ on its architect; the Kültür Portalı says Muhammed bin Havlan is thought to have been the architect, while the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam presents it as a work whose architect is unknown. The madrasa held an important place in the cultural life of Seljuk Konya, was abandoned at the end of the 19th century and was repaired in 1954. The building is of the covered courtyard type, with a dome over its central court, and it has a single storey. Its walls are of Sille stone, while the dome and vaults are of brick. The entrance is from the east, through a portal worked in grey and white marble. The portal is not in the exact centre of the facade but shifted towards the south-east corner. The broad inscription at the top gives the date of construction and the name of Karatay. Below it a two-coloured geometric interlace with large knots surrounds the pointed arch; the same knot motif appears on the portal of the Alaeddin Mosque, which links the two buildings. The large panels on either side of the twisted colonnettes show a geometric order reminiscent of kilim patterns. Passing through the portal, one comes out into an area that today looks like a garden. Traces on the walls show that this was once a square domed entrance hall with sides of 7.60 metres. A small door leads into the true heart of the building, the large domed central hall of about 12 by 12 metres. In the middle of this hall there is a square pool, a round basin and a winding water channel. What makes Karatay famous is the tile mosaic decoration of the dome over the central hall. The weight of the dome is carried down to the walls at the corners by fan-shaped pendentives made of triangular panels. White stucco bands running between turquoise and dark blue tiles cover the inner surface of the dome. The TDV Encyclopedia of Islam writes that this arrangement reminds the viewer of the sky and is one of the few examples to have survived. The pattern is built from twenty-four-pointed stars stacked from the bottom to the opening at the top and tied to one another by different knots. Because of the round opening at the top of the dome and the pool beneath it, some researchers have even attributed the role of an observatory to the building. The Kültür Portalı notes that turquoise, dark blue and black were used in the mosaic tiles. The large western iwan, with its vault, wide window and tile decoration, is an important space opening onto the central hall. The original layout of the vaulted rooms on either side of the hall has changed over time, and some doors were walled up and turned into niches. The museum opened on 17 December 1955, with the aim of bringing together tiles found in Konya, in the excavations of the Kubadabad Palace and in the surrounding provinces. According to the TDV Encyclopedia of Islam the collection holds around 5000 tiles, ceramics and stucco reliefs. The main reason for placing the museum in this building is that the madrasa, with its own tile decoration, is a museum in itself. The showcases in the iwan display the cross and star-shaped wall tiles from the Seljuk pavilion on Alaeddin Hill, found in the 1941 excavation. These tiles show male and female figures, mounted hunters and floral decoration. The most popular part of the collection is the group of tiles from the Kubadabad Palace on the shore of Lake Beyşehir. The eight-pointed star tiles and the connecting tiles between them are set side by side in keeping with their original arrangement in the palace. The panels depict courtiers sitting cross-legged, hunting scenes, sphinxes, sirens, double-headed eagles, peacocks and lions. Animals such as hunting dogs, hares, antelopes, wild goats and ducks also appear in large numbers as a continuation of the Central Asian animal style. Deep bowls, wide plates and stucco panels from Kubadabad are also on display. A good order for the visit is to stop first in the central hall and look up at the dome, then move on to the showcases in the iwan and side rooms. The small figures on the star tiles need a close look; it is worth moving from case to case without hurrying. The madrasa is a few minutes' walk from the tram line that circles Alaeddin Hill and can be seen on the same walk as the İnce Minareli Madrasa. For current visiting hours and admission conditions, consult the official website of the General Directorate of Museums.