Ince Minaret Stone Works Museum
Ince Minareli Madrasa, which was commissioned by the architect Kölük bin Abdullah by the Seljuk vizier Sâhib Ata Fahreddin Ali in 1284, for the purpose of teaching hadith, is located in the Selçuklu district of Konya.
The base of the minaret is square and made of bricks. As it rises from the base, the square shape leaves its place to a cylindrical shape. The outer part of the minaret is decorated with geometric motifs as well as green and turquoise tiles, emphasizing the classical Seljuk architecture and sense of art. In 1901, one of the balconies was destroyed as a result of lightning that struck the minaret, which was originally a double balcony.
The portal, which is located at the entrance of the madrasah and has an excellent workmanship, reveals how advanced the Anatolian Seljuks were in stone processing. The fact that the verses that should have taken place at the beginning and at the end of the Fatah and Yasin suras, which were engraved with kufic letters on the portal, are not visible, shows that the portal could not preserve its original form. Again, the Tree of Life motif at the entrance is accepted as an indication that the Central Asian Turkish culture continued to exist in the Anatolian Seljuks at the time the Madrasa was built.
The madrasa continued its function until the end of the 19th century and continued to be an education center. After a long repair and maintenance period between 1936 and 1956, it was reopened in 1956 as the Museum of Stone and Wood Works. Stone and wooden artifacts from the Turkish states and principalities that lived in Anatolia are exhibited in the museum.
