- Location:The Yivli Minare is located at Selçuk, İskele Cd in Turkey’s 07100 Antalya/ Muratpaşa.
- Distance from Antalya Airport:
The shortest route from Antalya domestic airport to Yivli Minare is about 13.6 kilometers. And, it takes twenty-five minutes to reach the location, via Mersin and Aspendos Blvd.
History of Yivli Minare
The Yivli Minare Camii that translates to a mosque with a fluted minaret is one of the historical mosques of Antalya. It was built in the year 1230 but was fully reconstructed in the year 1373. According to age-old belief, this Minare Mosque was supposed to commemorate war victories and makers wanted it to be in the form of a tower.
It was built during the Mediterranean world’s successful campaign of conquest which lasted from 1207-1226. Most historians claim that 1226 is the actual year when makers lay the foundation of this landmark in Turkey. It takes ninety steps to reach the top.
However, historians assume that there may have been ninety-nine steps initially as ninety-nine is the total number of appeals and epithets to God that are part of the Islam religion. The very first building was built around 1225-27, during The Seljuks Sultan’s, Alaaddin Kykubad’s reign.
It was in the fourteenth century that the first mosque got destroyed but Hamidids reconstructed it the second time in 1373 on a Byzantine Church’s foundation. The Yivli Minare has six domes that make it one of the ancient specimens of multiple dome construction present in Anatolia. It was reopened for the public in the year of 1974.
Construction of Yivli Minare
The Yivli Minare Camii is 125 feet (thirty-eight meters) high, constructed on a base of square stone with as many as eight ridged sections. It has ninety steps, and you can reach the very top with the help of this spiral staircase.
On the Seljuks Sultan’s, Alaaddin Kykubad orders, this mosque was constructed, during his ruling period that extends from 1220 to 1237. The base of square stone on which this fluted minaret mosque stands is 5.5 meters wide and 6.5 meters tall. It is located in the district of Kale Kapısı and the features of construction are inclusive of the following:
- Two mausoleums- Zincirkıran and Nigar Hatun
- Mevlevihane (or Tekke Mevlevi )
- Mosque
- Minaret
- Ghiyath Al-Din-Kaykhusraw Madrasa
It is believed that the eight semi-circular red brick grooved shaft of the minaret was initially decorated with turquoise and dark blue colored tiles. With the blue-glazed tiles that were woven into each row of this minaret’s trunk, it almost gave a vision of stripes that ran up these flanks.
To date, the historically significant ruins of the cobalt and turquoise glass mosaic are preserved in this tower’s niches. The minaret rises above the Antalya city has a conical roof as a crown and is fully shielded with lead.
Tips on visiting Yivli Minare
- Since, Perge has imposing pillars, markets, canals, The Artemis Temple, theatre, and public baths all across the place, you must do enough research to not miss out on anything.
- Make early air ticket reservations to reach Perge so that you can best avoid high expenses.
- Carry light cotton clothes if you are visiting during the summers because Perge is known for its classic Mediterranean climate. Such a climate is characterized by dry hot summers, rainy and moderately warm winters. This region receives three hundred days of bright sunshine and the mercury can soar up to 40 degrees Celsius hence pack an umbrella.
- Taxis are the best means of transportation to reach Perge. However, bargain for rates before you board any vehicle because it is the tourist season that causes fluctuations in rates.
