The Isabey Mosque in Selcuk (near Ephesus) is a beautiful example of Seljuk Turkish architecture in an atmospheric location. It is the oldest known example of a Turkish mosque with a courtyard.
This mosque was built on the western skirts of the Ayasuluk Hill on which stand the fortress and the Church of St. John.For topographic reasons its most ostentatious and magnificent face is the west one. It is an interesting point that it was built between the Temple of Artemis and the Church of St. John which belong to previous periods. It almost gives the impression that the temples of three different periods are in competition here. The building measures 51 by 57 metres. There is a row of shops with supporting arches at the lower level of the wall in the west façade. The main entrance on the west is reached by two separate flights of stairs of fifteen steps each mounting from either side.
Isa Bey Mosque was built in 1375 by Aydinoglu Isa Bey. The architect was Dimiçikli Ali from Damascus. We learn this from the inscription over the west portal. The entire west façade is covered with marble. The other faces of the edifice were built in squared blocks of stone. The west portal is framed with edgings in relief and has a protruding pointed arch which is very ostentatious. The windows in this façade are arranged in two rows one above the other. Their dimensions and decorations are different from one another. We can see here the finest examples of the stone workmanship of the period. In the lower row of windows coloured keystones were used and the upper parts of the windows on the left are decorated with stalactitic lines and holy writings. The other faces of the building are without any decoration. On the east is a portal symmetrical with that of the west. This is also called the portal of the sultan. The minaret is destroyed. The entrance on the north façade was in later periods blocked by a stone wall.
Entering the courtyard by the decorative main gate on the west covered by a diagonal vault porticoes encircling the courtyard on three sides and a fountain in the middle meet the eye. We see from the traces on the walls and the rows of columns that the portico was in two tiers. The minaret above the west entrance stands on an octagonal base, is decorated with tiles, and rises up to the external gallery. The top part was knocked down.
The actual place of worship of the mosque lies to the south. This section is entered from the courtyard by a door with three pointed arches set on two columns. In the middle there are two domes set on a pointed arch rising on four large granite columns of nearly one meter diameter. The sides of the domes are covered by two rows of wooden gable roofs. Although the domes were decorated with tiles most of them have disappeared. Of the capitals on the columns three are stalactitic, thus reflecting a characteristic of the period, and one is from the Roman period in composite style. The marble niche for the imam in the south wall is new. It is a copy of the original and was built in 1989. The original niche is in the Kestane Pazari Mosque (the Mosque of the Chestnut Market) in Izmir. It was taken there in the Ottoman period.
Isa Bey Mosque in Ephesus occupies an important place in the history of art because it was there that a second hall for the worshippers was built for the first time and also because it constituted a transitional architecture between the Seljuk and Ottoman periods.
The exterior of the Isa Bey Mosque is gorgeous and you can walk around a bit and see the different parts. The interior seems that it has been redone and the white walls are a disappointment.
The Mosque was very plain, with renovated walls. To left of the entrance remain bits of Arabic scripture. The garden is quaint with a fountain and palm trees. Ancient ruins are stacked near the far end of the garden.
At the foot of the hill with the site of the Basilica of St John above, is Isa Bey Camil Mosque. The area is free to enter and you can readily imagine the haven it has provided for locals for almost 700 years the earthquake damage is evident but the magnificence of the structure still impresses.
The main "sanctuary" has been restored and is a bit plain compared to what it must have been. But the courtyard is full of ancient and Ottoman artifacts and the site is very worth a visit. And it's a short walk from the Church of St. John.
If you visit selcuk ,you must visit this mosque, very nice ambiance.
The imam was in there and gave us a personal tour, even tho we did not speak the same language. He was kind and wonderful. very simple mosque but should not be missed.
My husband and I have visited this mosque everytime we have been to Selcuk and we never fail to come away from there feeling peaceful. There is something very spiritual about this holy place of worship.
We could see the Isa Bey mosque from our rented cottage, but saved it until our last day. Outside it can be a bit noisy and crowded, and like many places suffers a bit from tourist shops and somewhat aggressive shoe-shine men, but within its courtyard it is peaceful. There are clear rules about visiting mosques posted at the entrance.
Isabey Mosque is example of Seljukian architecture was purposely built with an asymmetrical style along with several Ottoman style elements, which are revealed in the turquoise and blue faience mosaics.
The mosque is well known for its reuse of columns from the Temple of Diana, one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. The mosque was built only a few years after the Ottoman Turks conquered the area and from it you can still see a Byzantine castle on the hill above.