Sultan Alaeddin Mosque

Sultan Alaeddin Mosque, built in the 12th century at the entrance of the Inner Castle in Ankara, was commissioned by the Seljuk ruler Muhi al-Din Masud.

It is the oldest mosque in Ankara. It was repaired during the reign of Alaeddin Kayqubad II and therefore is known as “Alaeddin Mosque”. The building also underwent restoration in the era of Ottoman Sultan Murad II, and in some sources it is referred to as “Muradiye Mosque”, but the name “Alaeddin” has never been abandoned in popular usage or sources.

It was built together with the palace during the period when Muhi al-Din Masud, one of the sons of Kilij Arslan II, ruled in Ankara.

The wooden minbar made with the false carpentry technique using nails, the older ancient mosque to its east, the Seljuk Palace to its west, the last prayer area to its north and the women's gallery above it are of significance in art history.

History

After the Turks captured Ankara Castle in 1073, the Muslim population in the city remained small until the second quarter of the 12th century; during this period, as in many other Islamic cities, Muslims are thought to have worshipped in Byzantine shrines that were either abandoned or shared. The area to the east of the Alaeddin Mosque, measuring 15.92 m in length and 9.13 m at its widest point, now completely open, was the first mosque the Turks built after capturing Ankara Castle in 1073 (Old Mosque). Immediately to its west, there is believed to have been a church; the Old Mosque was very small due to the cramped space within the inner castle. The most important surviving element of this structure is the mihrab, whose upper half is completely destroyed and which recedes in two steps.

When the territories of the Anatolian Seljuk State were divided among the sons of II. Kilij Arslan, Muhyiddin Mesud, who was given the lands of Ankara, lived in this city between 1186-1204. During his rule in Ankara, it is thought that he had a palace built in the city; that he had the mosque, now called Alâeddin Mosque, constructed together with the palace. It is considered possible that a door located at the western end of the qibla wall, opening onto a small tunnel, provided a connection to the palace

The mosque’s minbar inscription states that the minbar was made together with the mosque and bears the date Hijri Safar 594 (Gregorian November 1197). Some researchers have noted that this could also be read as 574 (1178) and the entrance of the mosque bears the date 1178

The last prayer hall at the north of the mosque and the women’s gallery above it were built together with the mosque. It is the last prayer hall in Anatolia and the first mosque with a women’s gallery on the upper floor. It has inspired many works such as the Hacı Bayram, İbadullah, Ağaç Ayak and Zincirli mosques

Muhyiddin Mesud’s acting like an independent malik caused his brother Rükneddin Süleyman Shah to besiege the city. It is believed that the mosque suffered heavy damage during this long siege. In 1204, when forced to surrender the city, Muhyiddin Mesud was killed and, while throne struggles continued, a few years later Alâeddin Keykubad took refuge in Ankara. It is accepted that Keykubad, who stayed in Ankara for two years, renovated the mosque. However, Keykubad had to abandon the city to his brother Keykavus in 1213. The mosque, located immediately adjacent to the castle, was probably also damaged in this siege

The building was repaired in 361 by Sultan Orhan’s governor Sülü Pasha and in 1433 during the reign of Murad II by Sharif Sunbul Hatun; it underwent another repair in 1895 during the reign of Abdul Hamid II. In the Republican era it was also repaired by the General Directorate of Foundations in 1954 and 1985. Through many repairs it has considerably lost its original architecture.

Architectural features

It consists of a rectangular‑plan, flat‑roofed prayer hall placed perpendicular to the qibla, and a rear congregation area built on the north on devshirme columns, also with a flat roof. The top is covered with a wooden flat roof.

It is illuminated by a total of sixteen windows: on the north, two on each side of the entrance door; on the rear congregation area, two; on the west, three at the lower level and three at the upper level; on the east, three at the lower level; and on the qibla side, five at the upper level. In addition, there are three windows opening to the north in the women's mahfil.

On the north of the prayer hall, beside the entrance door, there is a muezzin mahfil and above it a carved latticework, and the central part above the entrance door is a semi‑circular women's mahfil.

The mihrab dates from the 1895 repair.

Inscriptions

Outside the mosque there is a four‑line construction inscription carved into the marble, two three‑line repair inscriptions on the door, and a construction inscription on the minbar.

The repair inscription on the left is dated AD 1361 and its Turkish reads: "Our great master, the exalted Sultan (may God make his reign eternal) congregation, Lulu Pasha repaired this blessed mosque in the year 763 AH."

The repair inscription on the right is dated AD 1433 and its Turkish reads: "To invoke God's grace, this holy mosque was repaired by Sharif Sunbul Hatun in the year 837 AH during the reign of Mehmet Khan’s son Murat Khan."

Minbar

The mosque’s minbar is one of the finest examples of the period’s woodwork. Carved from walnut using a false joinery technique with nails, the minbar features octagonal stars and baklava‑shaped patterns containing Romanesque compositions. Above the minbar’s staircase door, besides geometric patterns with interlaced designs, two crescent motifs are seen. The joinery on this door has become worn over time and, as the passages were damaged, it has been nailed.

According to the inscription next to the pulpit, the pulpit master is the carpenter’s son Ibrahim Rumi, son of Ebubekir.

The window leaf that remained from the second restoration of the pulpit carried out in the 15th century is displayed in the Ankara Ethnography Museum.