The Mihrab Of Pir Husain Beg Mosque

The mihrab, prayer niche in the qibla wall, is an important component in Islamic architecture in addition to show qibla direction it indicates clearly the characterictics of the period of the plan schemes, the front designs and decorations. From the first applications up to the present the Mihrabs which built from various materials and techniques differ in different geographies according to the period. The mosque of Pir Husain Beg in Sarayönü, an district in Konya, was built by the Turgutogulları Principality. The mosque significantly altered in the 19th century, only the niche remained originally. The plaster and ceramic Mihrab was decorated with various geometric and rûmî compositions and calligraphy and mukarnas. The most interesting part of the mihrab is the high relief and plastic worded hilly part which inspring light-shade effect. This decoration approach which the first examples of it have seen in the Great Seljuk works and continued in the Ilkhanids period is a rare tecnique and decorative approach in Anatolia. In this paper, the plaster Mihrab of Sarayönü Pir Husain Mosque will be evaluated in detail.