Isa Bey Mosque

The Isa Bey Mosque is located southwest of Ayasulug Hill, between the Church of St. Jean and one of the seven ancient wonders, the Temple of Artemis. With this location, it makes sense that the symbols of three different religions are in a triangle.

Isa Bey Mosque

                The Isa Bey Mosque is located southwest of Ayasulug Hill, between the Church of St. Jean and one of the seven ancient wonders, the Temple of Artemis. With this location, it makes sense that the symbols of three different religions are in a triangle. And this mosque is unique because it has this position. The mosque was built by Aydınoğlu İsa Bey in 1375 by the architect Ali İbn-el Dımışkue from Damascus. Some pieces from Ephesus and the Temple of Artemis, especially columns, were used for the 51X57 m mosque. On the crown's inscription are the names of Isa Bey, the son of Mehmet, and Ali, the son of architect Dımışkue.


                In the center of the mosque is a courtyard with a cloister, where the fountain is also located. Of the two minarets that topped the eastern and western gates of the mosque, the eastern one was destroyed, leaving only one minaret. The marble work on the main facade of the Isa Bey Mosque, built in Ayasuluk, the capital of the Principality of Aydınoğulları, is an excellent example in Western Anatolia.


                Most of the marbles used for the mosque's western facade were brought from the Temple of Artemis, which was in ruins at the time. In the center of the facade is a very ornate and inscribed crown gate. The four windows south of the crown gate are considered an absolute masterpiece with their different structures and decorations. The beauty of the facade is also reflected in its interior. Ayasuluk Isa Bey Mosque is one of the rare mosques with two minarets from the period of Anatolian principalities. The courtyard, located north of the sanctuary and, judging by the remaining traces, was surrounded by porticoes on three sides, is the first example of this scheme in the pre-Ottoman period.