Başdurak (Hacı Hüseyin) Mosque

Konak / İzmir

Başdurak (Hacı Hüseyin) Mosque

You are in one of the dazzling mosques of Anafartalar Street, which is called by this name because it is located in Başdurak district. From the Seyahatname of Evliya Çelebi, who came to İzmir in 1671, we learn that the mosque was built by the grain merchant Hacı Hüseyin Bey in 1652.

The inscription that Evliya Çelebi said he saw on the entrance door of the mosque is not present today. This inscription was replaced by the 1774 repair inscription above the entrance to the main venue. On the same date, a library was built here. The second repair inscription of the mosque is located above the courtyard door. According to the inscription, the mosque, which was badly damaged in the earthquake, was repaired with the help of the people. Its minaret, which was destroyed in 1880, was rebuilt in 1894.

Başdurak Mosque is a masonry structure with a single dome and a single minaret. Its dome is covered with lead and its minaret is made of ornate carved stones. There are tile panels on the wall of the simple altar of the mosque. Column capitals and the top of the altar are gilded; In the middle of the dome, the Surah Ihlas is written.

On the exterior of the mosque, the plaster frieze** under the eaves ** and the floral motifs on it draw attention. The upper part of the walls, lower and upper floor windows, and the mihrab are decorated with low relief plaster made of floral motifs. There are hand-carved ornaments in places in the mosque. The marble reliefs on the entrance and side mirrors of the pulpit and the herbal ornaments on the balustrades are worth seeing.

The restoration of the mosque was carried out by the General Directorate of Foundations in 2001 and by the Izmir Chamber of Commerce in 2017. With the last restoration, 28 shops under Başdurak Mosque were renovated and the 'Başdurak Kemeraltı Touristic Handicrafts Market' project was implemented.

* Structure made of stone and brick.

** In the ancient Greek and Roman buildings, the section between the floor beam and the roof, decorated with reliefs.

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