Birgi Grand Mosque and Aydınoğlu Mehmed Bey Tomb

Constructed during the reign of Aydınoğlu Mehmed Bey in H.712 / A.D. 1312-13, the Great Mosque is situated within the complex. Today, the tomb stands, but there are no traces of the madrasa left. This area now forms the center of the city. It has a square plan. It is divided into five aisles extending in the north-south direction on the wall where the mihrab is located. The central aisle is made wider and higher than the others. The area in front of the mihrab has been transformed into a square space and covered with a dome. There are two entrances in the middle of the north and east facades.

According to the record of Evliya Çelebi, it is noted that there was a third door on the west facade. The north, south, and east facades have four upper-level windows each. The number of windows on the west facade has increased to eight. From all this, it can be thought that the west facade underwent continuous repairs. It is known that there was a last congregation area in front of the north facade until the year 1944. The mosque is covered with a double-pitched lead-covered pointed roof. The north and west facades are constructed with a mixture of rubble stone and brick, while the south and east facades are built with more carefully crafted large marble blocks. The part up to about two meters high from the bottom on the east facade has rubble stone and places of brick wall masonry. Spolia materials are seen intermittently on all facades. In the southeast corner of the mosque, parallel to the east facade, there is a carved stone lion statue made of spolia. The entrance on the east facade is reached by a four-step staircase. It is observed that the entrance rises along the facade, covered with a wooden canopy. A minaret is placed at the corner of the west facade. Its base is built with finely cut stones. Immediately after this part, on the cylindrical body, there is an ornamentation arranged in three different sections, created with red bricks and turquoise-colored glazed bricks. Starting from the bottom, the first section has turquoise glazed bricks and red bricks alternately placed in a zigzag pattern. From here, moving to the second section with turquoise tiles forming a band, the same style of material is used to achieve diamond-shaped motifs. This decoration continues up to the bottom of the balcony, and the honeycomb part is adorned with horizontal zigzag motifs. The cone part is covered with lead. The west facade is connected to the body of the minaret at the south corner. (Anonymous)