Sultan Alaeddin Mosque

Sultan Alaeddin Mosque is a house of worship located in the Inner Bailey (İç Hisar) section of the Ankara Castle, in the İç Hisar neighborhood on Aktaş Street. The structure is dated to the 12th century based on the date on its minbar inscription; however, it has largely lost its original architectural character due to numerous repairs. Although it is popularly known by this name because it was repaired during the reign of the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I , its patron, according to the inscription on its minbar, was the Seljuk Melik Muhyiddin Mesud. For this reason, it is also referred to as the Muhyiddin Mesud Mosque in some academic sources. The mosque presents various data from an architectural history perspective with its wooden minbar made with the kündekârî technique, its late-comers' portico and women's gallery arrangement, which is considered among the oldest known examples in Turkish architecture, the remains of an older mosque (Eski Cami) to its east, and its connection to the Seljuk Palace to its west.

Sultan Alâeddin Mosque (Diyanet Haber)

Historical Development

The construction and historical process of the area where the Sultan Alaeddin Mosque is located can be examined in two interconnected main periods: the Old Mosque period and the construction and subsequent repairs of the current mosque (Muhyiddin Mesud Mosque).

The Old Mosque (Eski Cami)

Following the Turkish conquest of Ankara in 1073, the need for a new place of worship arose with the increase of the Muslim population from the second quarter of the 12th century onwards. To meet this need, the first mosque was built in the area immediately to the east of the current Alaeddin Mosque, which today appears as an open-air courtyard. This structure is referred to as the "Eski Cami" (Old Mosque) due to its location.

• Architecture and Dating: Due to the scarcity of space in the inner bailey, the Old Mosque was built on a small scale and with an irregular rectangular plan. It was approximately 15.92 meters long and 9.13 meters wide at its widest point internally. The most prominent feature of the structure that has survived to this day is its mihrab, which deepens in a two-tiered niche and whose upper part is ruined. It is thought that the surface of the mihrab may have been covered with plaster or tiles, and in this form, it holds the potential to be the first known example of plaster mihrabs in Ankara. Girder sockets in the castle walls indicate that the structure was covered with a flat earthen roof resting on wooden pillars. It is believed that this mosque lost its function during the repairs in the 14th or 15th century, was converted into a hazire (cemetery), and the door connecting it to the newly built mosque was sealed off.

The Construction and Repairs of Muhyiddin Mesud Mosque

Melik Muhyiddin Mesud, who reigned in Ankara after the Seljuk Sultan Kılıç Arslan II divided the country among his sons (1186-1204) , had the current mosque built to the west of the Old Mosque in the year 1197 CE (594 AH). This date and the name of its patron are clearly stated in the mosque's minbar inscription.

The mosque has undergone numerous repairs since its construction:

Alaeddin Keykubad Repair

It is estimated that the structure was damaged during the sieges that affected Ankara in the early 13th century and was therefore repaired by Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I (reigned 1220-1237). It is accepted that the mosque takes its current name from this repair.

Ottoman Period Repairs

The mosque also underwent more than one repair during the Ottoman period. According to the repair inscriptions on the entrance door:

• It was repaired in 1361 (763 AH) by Lulu Pasha, the governor of Sultan Orhan I.

• It was repaired in 1433 (837 AH) during the reign of Sultan Murad II by Şerife Sünbül Hatun. For this reason, it is also mentioned as "Muradiye Mosque" in some sources.

• It underwent another repair in 1895 (1311 AH) during the reign of Sultan Abdul Hamid II. It is thought that the current mihrab belongs to this restoration.

Republic Era Repairs

The structure was repaired by the General Directorate of Foundations during the Republic era in 1954 and 1985. As a result of these repairs, the building has largely lost its original architecture.

Architectural Features

Harim (Prayer Hall)

The main prayer hall of the mosque has a rectangular plan with no internal supports (direksiz) and a flat wooden ceiling. Its internal dimensions are 12.90×14.98 meters. Its walls are built with a combination of cut and rubble stone and various antique spolia, and its surface is plastered. It is understood from photographs of the 1984-85 restoration that the original walls of the structure were made of mudbrick (kerpiç). The interior is illuminated by a total of 16 windows distributed on different facades.

Prayer Hall (Diyanet Haber)

Minbar (Pulpit)

One of the most remarkable elements of the mosque is its wooden minbar.

Pulpit (Diyanet Haber)

• Date and Technique: The construction inscription on the minbar indicates that it was made at the same time as the mosque, in the year 594 AH (1197 CE). It was produced from dry walnut wood using a technique called "false kündekârî," which involves the use of nails and glue.

• Craftsman and Decoration: According to its inscription, its craftsman was the Carpenter İbrahim, son of Ebubekir, er-Rûmî. The cognomen "er-Rûmî" indicates that the craftsman was Anatolian, rather than referring to his ethnic origin. The surface of the minbar features octagons, stars, Rumi compositions within lozenges, and sun representations with astronomical themes.

Pulpit Decorations (Yunus Emre Yüce)

• Current Condition: It is understood that some parts of the minbar were damaged by impacts, especially during the sieges of the 13th century, and were subsequently repaired. A window wing, thought to belong to the 15th-century repair, is exhibited at the Ankara Ethnography Museum.

Late-Comers' Portico and Women's Gallery (Son Cemaat Yeri ve Kadınlar Mahfeli)

On the northern facade of the mosque, there is a latecomers' portico with a wooden ceiling resting on antique spolia columns. Above this section is a women's gallery (kadınlar mahfeli). This arrangement—a late-comers' portico with a women's gallery above it—is considered the earliest known example of its kind in Anatolian Turkish architecture. This design is thought to have emerged for functional reasons such as the sloping terrain, climatic conditions, and taking advantage of the view. It is stated, based on structural connections and architectural analysis, that the portico and women's gallery were built together with the mosque in 1197.

Late-Comers' Portico and Women's Gallery(Diyanet Haber)

Minaret

The minaret is located at the northwest corner of the mosque, separate from the building. The body of the minaret, which rises on a square-planned cut stone base, is cylindrical and made of brick. It has a single balcony (şerefe) and is 30 meters high. In its current state, it has undergone many repairs and is thought to reflect the characteristics of the Murad II period.

Minaret (Diyanet Haber)

Fountain-Sebil (Sebil-Çeşme)

On the north facade of the late-comers' portico, facing the street, there is a fountain-sebil. Due to the inadequacy of water sources in the inner bailey, it is understood that the water for this facility was supplied by carrying it from a nearby cistern or reservoir. With this feature, it combines the function of a fountain for ablution and a sebil for drinking water.

Associated Structures and Elements

Ankara Seljuk Palace

Historical sources indicate the existence of a Seljuk palace within the Ankara Castle. Although its location is not known for certain, the door located at the western end of the qibla wall of the Alaeddin Mosque, opening into a small corridor (dehliz), is thought to have been used for the ruler's passage to the mosque and provided the connection with the palace. This passage is considered strong evidence that the area to the west of the mosque was the site of the Seljuk Palace. It is estimated that the palace was also built by Muhyiddin Mesud together with the mosque in or before 1197.

Throne of Gıyaseddin Keyhüsrev

It is stated that the wooden throne exhibited at the Ankara Ethnography Museum and attributed to Gıyaseddin Keyhüsrev I was brought from the Alaeddin Mosque, according to museum records. The presence in the mosque of this throne, which belongs to an important structure like a palace, is considered further proof of the mosque-palace relationship.

Place in Turkish Architecture

The Sultan Alaeddin Mosque holds importance not only for its wooden minbar but also for the architectural innovations it introduced. With its application of placing a super-level women's gallery above the late-comers' portico, the structure inspired many later Ankara mosques, including the Hacı Bayram, İbadullah, and Ağaçayak Mosques, and formed the foundation of the architectural understanding defined as the "Ankara style." With these features, it is positioned as a pioneer of a local architectural tradition that diverges from the classical Seljuk and Ottoman mosque typology in Anatolia.