Alâeddin Mosque of Niğde

portal

The Alâeddin Mosque of Niğde is a Roman-Seljuk mosque in the Turkish city of Niğde . Erected in 1223 under Sultan Kai Kobad I ( Turkish ʿAlāʾ ad-Dīn Kai-Qubād , ruled 1219–1237), its representative main portal adorned with a stalactite niche is an example of Seljuk architecture in Anatolia. It is part of the Niğde Citadel complex and has largely been preserved in its original state.

architecture

The Alâeddin Mosque is almost square in plan. The building is divided into three naves by two rows of four columns each. The three naves of the hall mosque run neither parallel to the qibla niche nor exactly perpendicular to it. The three yokes in front of the prayer niche are vaulted with domes. An open lantern rises above the central yoke . The mihrab dome rests on stone trumpets .

The monumental main portal on the east side is significantly higher than the side wall. In the northeast corner, to the side of the minaret , there is a small portico ( Son cemaat yeri ) . The mihrab niche is decorated exclusively with geometric ornaments , with star shapes, plastic diamond and plait patterns and rosettes. The inner surface of the niche is completely empty. The mini pulpit was added at a later date. The original minaret has been preserved up to the first balcony. An inscription on the portal indicates that the building was built in the year 620 AH / AD 1223 under the rule of Kai Kobad I by Bishop bin binabd Allah. Below the inscription are two human portraits with long braids, between which a building inscription names the builder Ṣidq bin Maḥmūd and his brother Ghāzī.

The heaviness of the archaic, burdensome interior is somewhat softened by the open lantern and the decoration of the outer wall.