Mosque Mihraps in The Centery of Burdur

Abstract

Located in the Lake District of the Mediterranean Region, Burdur encompasses a rich historical background in which the settlement itself can be dated back to the Neolithic Age. The first Turkish-Islamic settlement in Burdur started with the Anatolian Seljuk State in the 11th century. With the disintegration of the Seljuk State in Anatolia, the Hamid Beylik (Principality) was active in the area until the second half of the 14th century. The region's sovereignty under the Ottoman State commenced during the reign of Murad I. While Burdur was attached to the Hamid Sanjak according to the 15th and 16th century Cadastral (Tahrir) Record Books during the Ottoman Period, a sanjak had been established centered in Burdur in the 19th century which, until 1923, was bound to the province of Konya. With the proclamation of the Republic, Burdur became a province.Many structures were constructed in the city center of Burdur during the Turkish Islamic period, however, most of these buildings had been even out demolished due to the earthquake that occurred in 1914. Amongst these structures, the only building that survived to the present without suffering any damage during the earthquake is the Saden Mosque which was constructed in the years 1861 and 1862. After the earthquake, the efforts of the people and notables of the city to reconstruct the damaged buildings in the city center until the first half of the 20th century despite the on-going World War I have an important place in terms of healing wounds created both by the war and the earthquake. The mihrabs (niches) of Gazi (Ghazi) Mosque, Seyh (Sheikh) Sinan Mosque, Haci (Haji) Mahmut Mosque, Haci (Haji) Abdullah Mosque, Great (Ulu) Mosque, Hecin Dede Mosque, Necatibey Mosque, Eski-Yeni (Old New) Mosque, Mustafa Hoca (Hodja) Mosque, Recep Mosque and Tasdemir Mosque that underwent repairs in Burdur city center (excluding Saden Mosque) during this period constitute the subject of the article. As a result of the literature review of these mihrabs, no periodic publication was found within the field of Art History. During the field studies, the measurements of the thirteen mihrabs were acquired as well as photographed, sketched and described.Mihrabs, whose development in Islamic art spans over a long period of time, have developed and changed over time reflecting the understanding of art and style of every period and thus have become one of the most important elements of religious architecture exposing the economy, fashion, preference and the desire of the patron of the era.The thirteen mosque mihrabs located in the city center of Burdur have been studied chronologically in a way that would reflect the understanding of form, style and decoration of the period in which they were built. The iconographies of the floral motifs, S-C curve branches, large acanthus leaves, curtain and oil lamp motifs that appear in the mihrabs are also attempted to be explained. The mihrabs examined in the study reflect the form and decoration that are encountered both in those of the late Ottoman era and early years of the Republic. Moreover, the mihrabs have been compared with similar work and thus their contributions to the city, region and Turkish architecture have been tried to be elaborated on. The thirteen mihrabs undertaken in the Burdur city center are examples that demonstrate this change and progress.