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Yivli Minaret is an iconic 13th-century tower that rises above one of the city’s most famous mosques. The giant redbrick sculpture is a permanent feature of the Antalya skyline and provides scenic photo opportunities with a backdrop of the Mediterranean Sea. The minaret is part of a mosque in Antalya’s Old Town district. The summit of the famous tower is 125 feet (38.1 meters) high in the sky. The column has an intriguing shape made from eight rounded pillars. The base of the tower is made from stone and is 18 feet (5.5 meters) wide. The mosque has six domes and is one of the region’s oldest multi-dome mosques. Turquoise and dark blue colored Allah and Mohammad words are written to every direction of the floor.

Although the inscription at the entrance indicates that Yivli Minaret Mosque was built in 1373 by Mehmet Bey, grandson of Yunus Bey from the Hamitoglu clan. The original mosque was built in 1230 by using the walls of a ruined old church which was exist formerly at the same place. The original mosque destroyed in the 14th century and the prayer hall was rebuilt with its six domes. Domes attract attention with their exterior tiles. This building is one of the oldest examples of multi-domed mosques in Anatolia. The mosque’s plan scheme is rectangular and the building has plain decoration style. The roof is carried by 12 columns which have ancient column heads. The exterior walls of the mosque are constructed by hewn stone. The mosque is famous for its minaret which was constructed on the orders of Alaaddin Keykubad I, the Seljuks Sultan who ruled between 1220 and 1237. The 38-metre high fluted minaret is a unique example of Anatolian Turkish Architecture. It stands on a huge square stone base measuring 6.5 metres tall and 5.5 metres wide. The Minaret’s eight semi-circular grooved red brick shaft was originally decorated with dark blue and turquoise-colored tiles. Yivli Minaret Mosque represents unique architectural design with its fluted minaret. It is possible to compare with other similar minarets in Anatolia such as the minaret of the Afyon Gedik Ahmet Paşa Mosque, Amasya Burmalı Minaret Mosque, Tire Karahasan Mosque and one of the minarets of Edirne Üç Şerefeli Mosque. But Yivli Minaret Mosque distinguishes from them with its minaret’s unprecedented form and design. The minaret was restored in 1953 and 1961 by General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums. Its spire was renewed in 1973 by Directorate General of Foundations.

Yivli Minaret Mosque was built by using the walls of a ruined old church which was exist formerly at the same place. In the course of building of the mosque, the ancient column heads were used interior of the mosque as load bearing. This structural aspect of the mosque displays the important interchange of developments in architecture. In the Byzantine period Antalya, a city with a rank of a bishopric, many churches were erected. Among these buildings, the one worth mentioning is the church dedicated to the Virgin Mary, in later times converted into a mosque, and now known as the Broken Minaret. It is located in the historic district, Kaleiçi, towering above the port from Roman times. From the 7th century, Antalya was the target of Arab invasions and, simultaneously, gained more strategic importance as the military outpost, guarding the southern coast of Asia Minor. In those days the city was the capital of the Byzantine military district (i.e. theme), known as the Cibyrrhaeots.

From the end of World War I until 1923 Antalya was occupied by the Italian troops. The city had then 30,000 residents. Following the restoration of control over Antalya by the Turkish Republic, its ethnic composition underwent a massive transformation. The Greek population that lived here for many centuries was resettled to Greece, and its place was taken by the Turks from the Balkans and the Caucasus. Until the early 70th of the 20th century, the town was actually a farming and fishing village. Since then, however, Antalya has completely changed, partially due to the tourism boom. Currently, with over 1 million inhabitants, Antalya is one of the largest and most modern Turkish metropolitan areas.

Direct visit can be organized at the weekends
Virtual visit
(By using smart boards or projectors in the classrooms all students with the guidance of a teacher can visit the minaret. Also the students can visit the place individually from the given link.)
https://tr.arayv.com/Turkiye/Antalya/Yivli-Minare