Balat İlyas Bey Complex
Ilyas Bey Mosque is a mosque belonging to the Anatolian Principalities period, located in Balat Village next to the Miletus ruins in Didim district of Aydın province. It is part of the İlyas Bey Social Complex.
Its construction was started in May-June 1404 by the order of İlyas Bey, the last ruler of the Menteşeoğulları. It is also known as Koca Mosque and Cuma Mosque. It is a part of the İlyas Bey Social Complex, which consists of structures such as a mosque, madrasah, soup kitchen, double bath, and bazaar. Marble blocks collected from the ruins of Ancient Miletus, most of which were reprocessed and placed on the walls, were used in its construction. It is one of the leading works of Anatolian Turkish architecture with its original architecture, facade design and decorations.
The mosque was restored together with other structures of the complex between 2007 and 2012. This restoration project received an award in the "Repair and preservation of historical monuments" category from Europa Nostra, whose mission is to protect Europe's cultural heritage.
HISTORY
Balat, built on the ancient city of Miletus, joined the lands of the Menteşe Principality in the second half of the 13th century and the Ottoman Empire in 1391, but Timur, who won the victory against the Ottomans in the Battle of Ankara, gave back his lands to the Menteşe Principality, like other Anatolian Beys. . When Menteşeoğlu Bey Ilyas took over the principality again after twelve years, he started the construction of the İlyas Bey Mosque in May-June 1404.
The building, which was damaged as a result of the severe earthquake that occurred in the Büyük Menderes basin in the 1890s, was repaired for the first time in 1905, as far as is known, and the dome of the building was covered with corrugated tiles. The mosque partially underwent minor repairs after the 1955 earthquake. It was restored as a result of the restoration project of architect Cengiz Kabaoğlu, initiated by the industrial organization Söktaş between 2007 and 2012.
