Karatay Madrasa
Karatay Madrasa is located in the Karatay district of Konya today, and it was built by Celalettin Karatay during the reign of Izzettin Keykavus II in order to conduct hadith and tafsir studies.
The madrasah, which is a single-storey building, has an enormous portal that shows the Seljuk period stonemasonry in every aspect. Just after passing the entrance, it is noticed that the Karatay madrasa is composed of four main sections located around the main square, just like other Seljuk madrasahs. Another feature that cannot be missed when entering the main square is the dome, which has been successfully preserved until today, and the navy blue tile decorations that perfectly cover this dome. The names of 4 prophets and 4 caliphs are engraved with kufic letters on the connection points of the inner dome. The tomb of Celalettin Karatay, the founder of the madrasa, is also located within the madrasa structure.
The madrasah continued to function until the end of the 19th century, but in the following years it was neglected and many tiles in the madrasah were destroyed. After this period, works belonging to the Ottoman and Seljuk periods are exhibited in the madrasah, which started to serve as the Museum of Tile Works in 1955. The tiles removed from the Kubadabad Palace are worth seeing.
