This imposing mosque was built in 1375, and represents a transition between the Seljuk period and the Ottomans. Instead of being square like most Ottoman mosques, it is rectangular. This the minaret of the mosque. It has been damaged several times by earthquakes. The muezzin (the imam's assistant-- the imam is the priest) would climb the stairs 5 times daily to perform the call to prayer. Since the early 1970s, this has been done by a recording played over loudspeakers. Last night in Bursa, I was sitting with a group on the roof-top terrace at the hotel when the call to prayer began from a nearby mosque. A few minutes later, you could hear it from neighboring mosques. Most people in Turkey do not stop to observe the prayer. In the bar on the terrace, the music was turned off until the call was over. Most Turks only attend prayers on Friday and special holidays.
This is the entry door to the mosque. Even the ladies in our group covered their heads in the mosque (as they did elsewhere).
This is the interior of the mosque, and would be the equivalent of the altar in a Christian church. All mosques in Turkey face southeast for Kibla. That is the direction in Turkey towards Mecca.
This is a better view of the Kibla. On the left you see the preaching chair of the imam.
- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone
Location:Selçuk-- Isa Bey Camii
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