İnce Minareli Medrese (; ) 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 Anatolian Seljuk architecture.
History
The Ince Minaret Medrese was commissioned in 1265 by the Seljuk vizier 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.
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. The complex of the medrese is approximately 23.60 meters by 20.30 meters, or about 77.4 feet by 66.6 feet. 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. The use of brick decoration was a common feature of Seljuk buildings due to its connections to traditional Anatolian brick architecture.
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 church style.
The dome itself receives light by means of a lantern, which illuminates the covered courtyard space. It is supported by four triangular fan pendentives made of exposed brickwork. The side chambers of the dome are not decorated at all, which increases the striking aesthetic properties of the central space. The interior of the dome is covered in alternating turquoise and black tiles in geometric patterns that bear an inscription in kufic script.
thumb|A view of the İnce Minareli Medrese from the citadel of Konya in 1884 (image from a photo collection originally published in 1901).
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. 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.