Yivli Minare Camii

About Yivli Minare Camii

The Yivli Minare Camii (Fluted Minaret Mosque) is a historic mosque in Kaleiçi, the old town centre of Antalya, on Cumhuriyet Street near Kalekapısı Square. It is one of the most important landmarks of the city, and its fluted brick minaret, with traces of blue tilework, has become a widely recognised symbol of Antalya. The mosque dates back to the early 13th century. After the Seljuk conquest of Antalya in 1216, a mosque was built around 1230 on the site of a ruined Byzantine church, reflecting the Seljuk approach of working earlier architectural elements into new Islamic buildings. The minaret that gives the mosque its name was probably commissioned in the reign of Alaaddin Keykubad I, a ruler known for his many building projects across Anatolia. The first mosque was destroyed or fell into disrepair in the 14th century, and in 1373 it was rebuilt by Mehmet Bey of the Hamidid dynasty. The new design has a prayer hall covered by six domes, carried on columns that reuse ancient capitals.