Ferruhşah Mosque: A Seljuk-Era Mosque in Akşehir, Türkiye
Site at a Glance
- Rating
- 4.6
- Popularity
- Very Low
- Country
- Turkey
- Primary era
- Medieval
- Eras represented
- Medieval
- Civilizations
- Seljuk
- Site type
- Religious
- Remains
- Mosque
History
Ferruhşah Mosque is a small historical mosque in Akşehir, Türkiye, built in 1224 during the Seljuk period by Ferruh Şah. The building was erected under Kayqubad I, the Seljuk sultan of Rum, whose medieval state ruled much of Anatolia from 1220 to 1237. An inscription preserves the date and identifies Ferruh Şah as the builder. The mosque stands in the same courtyard as the tomb of Seydi Mahmut Hayrani, a medieval Sufi saint associated with Akşehir.
The mosque also became connected with the Ottoman defeat at the Battle of Ankara in 1402. After Timur, the Central Asian conqueror who defeated the Ottoman army, captured Sultan Bayezid I, Bayezid was imprisoned in the building. Bayezid died there, and his son Musa Çelebi carried his body to Bursa. Following its latest restoration in 2006, Ferruhşah Mosque was opened for religious services.
Remains
Ferruhşah Mosque has a compact rectangular plan, with external dimensions of 6.6 by 6.36 metres. Its walls combine different materials by elevation. Rubble stone forms the north and west sides, while brick and some reused building material appear on the west and south sides. Three windows provide openings in the small structure. The building remains associated physically with the courtyard containing Seydi Mahmut Hayrani’s tomb, and its restored form continues to serve as a place of worship.
