Yivli Minare, Antalya: How To Reach, Best Time & Tips

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Yivli Minare Overview

The Yivli Minaret mosque is eight-centuries old and is the symbol of Antalya, the tourism capital of southern Turkey. Many foreign architecture enthusiasts and local tourists visit this grooved minaret as it epitomizes Turkish Anatolian architectural design like no other.

Built by Anatolian Seljuk Sultan Kayqubad I, the mosque is one of the most visited historical monuments in Antalya province. The mosque is known for its grooved minaret representing a specific type of Anatolian Turkish Architecture. When you travel to Turkey, exploring this architectural marvel offers a glimpse into the rich history and cultural heritage that graces the Antalya province.

One of the best examples of the domed mosque culture of Anatolia, the mosque was equipped with an excellent cooling and heating system built according to conditions back then. This particular system of heating and cooling is distinctive mainly because it preserves the heat inside the wall of the window.

Water flowing under the Minare, through the tunnels provides warmth in winter and coolness in the summers. The Yivli Minare Mosque attracts massive attention from the people also because it is used as the city’s logo and Antalyaspor’s (football team) emblem.

Besides Yivli Minare being a well-known world symbol, it is known to have an extraordinary atmosphere that influences people to convert into Islam. Although travelers may read up an inscription at the Minaret’s entrance that illustrates how Mehmet Bey built the mosque in 1373.

But, originally the mosque was built in the year 1230. It was built putting an old church’s ruined walls into use. The Sultan of the Seljuks, ruling between 1220 -1237, named Alaaddin Kykubad ordered the construction of this mosque. Later, The General Directorate of Museums and Cultural Heritage ordered restoration works on the minaret during 1953 and 1961, while the spire got renovated in 1973.

How To Reach

You can reach Perge by boarding a car or a taxi. Since, Perge is only sixteen kilometers away from Antalya Airport, with a road distance of 18.8 kilometers. Thus, it is recommended that you take a taxi to reach Perge as it is one of the fastest options, and takes eighteen minutes only.

Best Time To Visit

The best time to visit Perge is during the autumn and spring season, that is september-october and april-may. These are ideal months as the skies are clear and the weather is pleasantly warm. You must avoid the hot season that extends from June to the beginning of September as temperatures reach above thirty degrees centigrade.

Moreover, the months from January to March face harsh winters, and are also unsuitable as temperatures drop below zero degrees Celsius.

Other Essential Information

- Location:

The Yivli Minare is located at Selçuk, İskele Cd in Turkey’s 07100 Antalya/ Muratpaşa.

- Distance from Antalya Airport:

The shortest route from Antalya domestic airport to Yivli Minare is about 13.6 kilometers. And, it takes twenty-five minutes to reach the location, via Mersin and Aspendos Blvd.

History of Yivli Minare

The Yivli Minare Camii that translates to a mosque with a fluted minaret is one of the historical mosques of Antalya. It was built in the year 1230 but was fully reconstructed in the year 1373. According to age-old belief, this Minare Mosque was supposed to commemorate war victories and makers wanted it to be in the form of a tower.

It was built during the Mediterranean world’s successful campaign of conquest which lasted from 1207-1226. Most historians claim that 1226 is the actual year when makers lay the foundation of this landmark in Turkey. It takes ninety steps to reach the top.

However, historians assume that there may have been ninety-nine steps initially as ninety-nine is the total number of appeals and epithets to God that are part of the Islam religion. The very first building was built around 1225-27, during The Seljuks Sultan’s, Alaaddin Kykubad’s reign.

It was in the fourteenth century that the first mosque got destroyed but Hamidids reconstructed it the second time in 1373 on a Byzantine Church’s foundation. The Yivli Minare has six domes that make it one of the ancient specimens of multiple dome construction present in Anatolia. It was reopened for the public in the year of 1974.

Construction of Yivli Minare

The Yivli Minare Camii is 125 feet (thirty-eight meters) high, constructed on a base of square stone with as many as eight ridged sections. It has ninety steps, and you can reach the very top with the help of this spiral staircase.
On the Seljuks Sultan’s, Alaaddin Kykubad orders, this mosque was constructed, during his ruling period that extends from 1220 to 1237. The base of square stone on which this fluted minaret mosque stands is 5.5 meters wide and 6.5 meters tall. It is located in the district of Kale Kapısı and the features of construction are inclusive of the following:

- Two mausoleums- Zincirkıran and Nigar Hatun

- Mevlevihane (or Tekke Mevlevi )

- Mosque

- Minaret

- Ghiyath Al-Din-Kaykhusraw Madrasa

It is believed that the eight semi-circular red brick grooved shaft of the minaret was initially decorated with turquoise and dark blue colored tiles. With the blue-glazed tiles that were woven into each row of this minaret’s trunk, it almost gave a vision of stripes that ran up these flanks.

To date, the historically significant ruins of the cobalt and turquoise glass mosaic are preserved in this tower’s niches. The minaret rises above the Antalya city has a conical roof as a crown and is fully shielded with lead.

Tips on visiting Yivli Minare

- Since, Perge has imposing pillars, markets, canals, The Artemis Temple, theatre, and public baths all across the place, you must do enough research to not miss out on anything.

- Make early air ticket reservations to reach Perge so that you can best avoid high expenses.

- Carry light cotton clothes if you are visiting during the summers because Perge is known for its classic Mediterranean climate. Such a climate is characterized by dry hot summers, rainy and moderately warm winters. This region receives three hundred days of bright sunshine and the mercury can soar up to 40 degrees Celsius hence pack an umbrella.

- Taxis are the best means of transportation to reach Perge. However, bargain for rates before you board any vehicle because it is the tourist season that causes fluctuations in rates.