View source for Ince Minaret Madrasa

{{short description|13th-century madrasa (and now museum) in Konya, Turkey}}
{{Infobox religious building
|building_name=İnce Minareli Medrese
|image=Ince Minareli Medrese 01.jpg
|caption=
|map_type = Turkey
|map_size = 250
|map_caption = Location in Turkey 
|coordinates = {{coord|37.5222|32.2924|type:landmark_region:TR|display=inline,title}}
|location= [[Konya]], [[Turkey]]
|geo=
|religious_affiliation=[[Islam]]
|rite=
|region=[[Central Anatolia]]
|province=[[Konya]]
|district=[[Konya]]
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|website=
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|architecture_type=[[Madrasa]]
|architecture_style=[[Anatolian Seljuk architecture|Seljuk]]
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|year_completed=1279
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'''İnce Minareli Medrese''' ({{literally|Slender [[Minaret]] [[Medrese]]}}; {{langx|fa|مدرسه اینجه مناره‌لی}}) is a 13th-century [[madrasa]] (Islamic school) located in [[Konya]], [[Turkey]], now housing the Museum of Stone and Wood Art (Taş ve Ahşap Eserler Müzesi), noted for its ornate entrance, domed courtyard, ornamentally bricked [[minaret]], partially destroyed in 1901, and exemplar [[Anatolia]]n [[Seljuks|Seljuk]] architecture.

==History==
The Ince Minaret Medrese was commissioned in 1265 by the Seljuk vizier [[Sâhib Ata|Ṣāḥib 'Aṭā Fakhr al-Dīn 'Alī]], who was one of was one of two major patrons of architecture in Konya in the decades after the city's recapture from the Mongols. Upon his death in 1285, he was buried in his "mosque complex" within the city.{{Sfn|Blessing|2016|p=24}}

== Architecture ==
=== Complex Layout ===
The Ince Minaret Medrese is built close to the old center of Seljuk rule, at the foot of the citadel hill in Konya.{{Sfn|Blessing|2016|p=61}} The complex of the medrese is approximately 23.60 meters by 20.30 meters, or about 77.4 feet by 66.6 feet.<ref name="Demiralp MWNF">{{cite web |last1=Demiralp |first1=Yekta |title=Ince Minareli ('Slender Minaret') Madrasa |url=http://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;tr;Mon01;8;en |website=Discover Islamic Art |publisher=Museum With No Frontiers |location= |language= |doi= |date=2020}}</ref> In the center of the rectangular complex is a dome-covered courtyard which is surrounded by the rooms of the medrese, or Islamic religious school, on the north, south and west sides. The student rooms are located on the north and south sides of the centrally-placed dome and the medrese's classrooms are located on the west side.<ref name="Demiralp MWNF"/> On the east side of the courtyard is a single-domed mosque with the minaret with two balconies, or [[Şerefe (minaret)|şerefes]] in Turkish, on the south-eastern corner.<ref name="Demiralp MWNF"/> The courtyard includes a single [[iwan]] facing the entrance, or a courtyard space with barrel-vaulted halls and rectangular and square side chambers, which emulates an ancient Persian rectangular space layout that became a standard type during the era of Seljuk Anatolia.{{Sfn|Blessing|2016|p=51}}

Typical of medieval Islamic architecture, the integration of the mosque into the medrese's architectural plan is evidence of the complex's multitude of purposes as a religious place of worship and of teaching.<ref name="Hillenbrand1994"/> The exterior of the complex is made of cut stone, the outer side walls are made of rubble and stone, and the interior uses brick for structural and ornamental purposes.<ref>{{cite web |title=TAŞ VE AHŞAP ESERLERİ MÜZESİ (İNCE MİNARE) |url=http://muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?SectionId=KIM01&DistId=MRK |website=Muze, Government of Turkey |publisher=T.C. Kültür ve Turizm Bakanlığı |location= |language=en |doi= |date=}}</ref> The use of brick decoration was a common feature of Seljuk buildings due to its connections to traditional Anatolian brick architecture.<ref name=":02" />

=== Portal and Facade ===
The portal of the building is surrounded by highly ornamented stonework which stretches up the entire facade. While other contemporary Seljuk constructions made use of [[muqarnas]] hoods above the entry, the Ince Minaret Medrese instead includes large stone banners of text.{{Sfn|Blessing|2016|p=50}} [[Sura 36]] and [[Sura 110]] are inscribed in prominent vertical bands of [[thuluth]] calligraphy that intertwine and separate just above the doorway.<ref>Schimmel, Annemarie. Islamic Calligraphy, (Brill, 1970), 22.</ref><ref name=":02" /> Geometric and vegetal designs likewise adorn the facade, taking the form of knots, branches, and leaves. Apart from displaying the stonework and script, the facade also conceals the layout of the interior spaces behind it.{{Sfn|Blessing|2016|p=51}} Within two rosettes framing the portal are inscriptions attesting to the building's architect, Kölük bin Abdullah, who also designed the [[Gök Medrese (Sivas)|Gök Medrese]] in Sivas as well as the nearby Sahip Ata Complex in Konya. Abdullah is hypothesized to have worked on a number of Ṣāḥib 'Aṭā Fakhr al-Dīn's commissions.<ref>"Gizlilik Bildirimi - Fikriyat Gazetesi". www.fikriyat.com. Retrieved 2020-11-11.</ref>

=== Dome ===
At the center of the courtyard is the centrally-planned, covered dome. Although central plans were common in late Seljuk architecture, the Ince Minaret Medrese diverged from previous centrally-planned courtyards with the addition of the covered dome space. The large central dome emulates pre-Seljuk Anatolian architecture, specifically earlier mosque plans and the standard Anatolian [[Byzantine architecture|Byzantine]] church style.<ref name="Hillenbrand1994">{{Cite book|last=Hillenbrand|first=Robert|title=Islamic architecture: form, function and meaning|publisher=Edinburgh University Press|year=1994|location=Edinburgh|page=211}}</ref>

The dome itself receives light by means of a lantern, which illuminates the covered courtyard space.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|date=2005-03-11|title=Ince Minare Madrasa|url=https://muslimheritage.com/ince-minare-madrasa/|access-date=2020-12-09|website=Muslim Heritage}}</ref> It is supported by four triangular fan [[pendentive]]s made of exposed brickwork.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Michell|first=M.|title=Architecture of the Islamic World|publisher=Thames and Hudson|year=1978|location=London|page=244}}</ref> The side chambers of the dome are not decorated at all, which increases the striking aesthetic properties of the central space.{{Sfn|Blessing|2016|p=50}} The interior of the dome is covered in alternating turquoise and black tiles in geometric patterns that bear an inscription in [[kufic]] script.{{Sfn|Blessing|2016|p=50}}
[[File:John_Henry_Haynes._Konya's_Ince_Minareli_Medrese._1901.jpg|thumb|A view of the İnce Minareli Medrese from the citadel of Konya in 1884 (image from a photo collection originally published in 1901).<ref>{{cite book |author=Robert G. Ousterhout |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=G4RAvgAACAAJ |title=John Henry Haynes - A Photographer and Archaeologist in the Ottoman Empire, 1881–1900 |year=2016 | publisher=Cornucopia Books |isbn=978-0956594860}}</ref>]]

=== Minaret ===
The Ince Minaret Medrese's name refers to the structure's original extremely tall minaret, which once possessed two balconies. In 1901, however, the minaret was partially destroyed  by a lightning strike.<ref name=":02"/> The lightning strike caused the minaret to fall on the complex's mosque, which destroyed its dome and resulted in subsequent repairs using concrete and glass.{{Sfn|Blessing|2016|p=50}} The minaret is located near the gateway of the dome. The base of the minaret is square shaped and built out of brick.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Ince Minareli Medrese {{!}} Archnet|url=http://archnet.org/sites/2048|access-date=2020-12-09|website=archnet.org}}</ref> As the base goes upward, the square shape gives way to a cylindrical form. Glazed bricks are strategically placed  a slight distance apart in a cylindrical geometric pattern, generating an illusion of free-hanging materials.<ref name=":02" /> In addition, green tiles as well as geometric motifs decorate the outer portion of the minaret, creating a distinct Seljuk style of architecture and artwork.<ref name=":02" /> It was common practice for Seljuk buildings to be lined in glazed brick and ornamented with a decorative style.<ref name=":02" />

==Gallery==
<gallery>

1913 Injeh Minaret Konia.png|Old historical photo of İnce Minareli Medrese
File:Ince Minare Medrese Museum exterior 2920.jpg|İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, exterior
File:Ince Minare Medrese Museum exterior 060.jpg|İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, exterior
Ince Minareli Medrese 02.jpg|Detail of the facade
Ince minare entrance.jpg|The highly ornamented stone facade of the entrance of the İnce Minareli Medrese
Inceminarelimedrese.JPG|Model of the İnce Minareli Medrese, showing the original height of its minaret
File:Ince Minare Medrese Museum central room 4032.jpg|İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, central room
File:Ince Minare Medrese Museum double headed eagle 2853.jpg|İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, double headed [[Sultanate of Rum|Anatolian Seljuk]] [[Double-headed eagle#Adoption in the Turkic and Muslim world|eagle]] 
File:Ince Minare Medrese Museum imaginary animal relief 4081.jpg|İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, imaginary animal relief
File:Ince Minare Medrese Museum Seljuk architectural fragment 4037.jpg|İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, Seljuk architectural fragment
File:Ince Minare Medrese Museum Seljuk architectural fragment 4092.jpg|İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, Seljuk architectural fragment
File:Ince Minare Medrese Museum Seljuk winged angel 4061.jpg|İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, Seljuk winged angel 
File:Ince Minare Medrese Museum Beykim Mescit detail 2903.jpg|İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, Beykim Mescit detail
File:Ince Minare Medrese Museum Hasbey Dar'ül Huffazı door 4051b.jpg|İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, Hasbey Dar'ül Huffazı door
File:Ince Minare Museum mihrab of Ulri Sultan Mescit 3572.jpg|İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, [[mihrab]] of Ulri Sultan Mescit
File:Ince minare arka cephesi mayıs 2022.jpg|İnce Minareli Medrese Museum, view from the backyard
</gallery>

==References==
{{reflist}}

=== Bibliography ===

* {{Cite book|last=Blessing|first=Patricia|title=Rebuilding Anatolia after the Mongol Conquest: Islamic Architecture in the Lands of Rūm, 1240-1330|publisher=Routledge|year=2016|location=Stanford University, USA|pages=21–67}}
* Blessing, Patricia, and Rachel Goshgarian. Architecture and Landscape in Medieval Anatolia, 1100–1500 / Edited By Patricia Blessing And Rachel Goshgarian. Edinburgh University Press, 2018.
* Demiralp, Yekta. "Ince Minareli ('Slender Minaret') Madrasa" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2020. <nowiki>http://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;tr;Mon01;8;en</nowiki>
* "Gizlilik Bildirimi - Fikriyat Gazetesi". www.fikriyat.com. 
* Hillenbrand, R. (1994), 'Islamic architecture: form, function and meaning', Edinburgh University Press, Edinburgh.
* "Ince Minareli Medrese." Archnet, archnet.org/sites/2048.
* {{cite journal |title=Ince Minareli Madrasa |website=Massachusetts Institute of Technology |url=http://dome.mit.edu/handle/1721.3/65508 |language=en |date=1 June 2011|hdl=1721.3/65508}}
* "Ince Minare Madrasa." Muslim Heritage, 3 Dec. 2019, muslimheritage.com/ince-minare-madrasa/.
* Michell, M. et al. (eds.) (1978), 'Architecture of the Islamic World', Thames and Hudson, London.
* Özcan, Koray. "The Anatolian Seljuk City An Analysis on Early Turkish Urban Models in Anatolia." Central Asiatic Journal 54, no. 2 (2010): 273–90. Accessed October 28, 2020. {{JSTOR|4192856}}.
* Schimmel, Annemarie. Islamic Calligraphy, (Brill, 1970).
* "TAŞ VE AHŞAP ESERLERİ MÜZESİ (İNCE MİNARE)." Muze, Government of Turkey, muze.gov.tr/muze-detay?SectionId=KIM01&amp;amp;DistId=MRK.

==External links==
{{commons category|Ince Minare Museum}}
* {{cite web | url = http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.tcl?site_id=7562 | title = İnce Minareli Medrese in Konya | publisher = [[ArchNet]] | access-date = 2017-03-15 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060218045422/http://archnet.org/library/sites/one-site.tcl?site_id=7562 | archive-date = 2006-02-18 }}
* [http://www.pbase.com/dosseman/ince Many pictures from the Ince Minaret museum]

{{Tentative list of World Heritage Sites in Turkey}}
{{Madrasas in Turkey}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Buildings and structures in Konya]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures of the Sultanate of Rum]]
[[Category:Madrasas in Turkey]]
[[Category:Buildings and structures completed in 1279]]
[[Category:Archaeological museums in Turkey]]
[[Category:Museums established in 1956]]
[[Category:Tourist attractions in Konya]]
[[Category:World Heritage Tentative List for Turkey]]
[[Category:13th-century madrasas]]
[[Category:Selçuklu District]]