Bayındır Mosque, One of the Most Important Wooden Mosques in Anatolia

The Bayındır Mosque, despite undergoing changes and repairs over time, remains one of the best examples of wooden mosques from the 14th century in Anatolia. It was undoubtedly inspired by the Eşrefoğlu Süleyman Bey Mosque, which was built before it in the same vicinity, and in turn, it served as an inspiration for later constructions.

Bayındır Mosque is located in Bayındır village on the Konya-Beyşehir highway. This settlement is located about 6-7 kilometers away from Beyşehir and about one and a half kilometers off the road. It is referred to as "Killi Bayındır Village" in Ottoman archives and takes its name from a Turkish tribe. The inscription on the mosque indicates that it was built in H 767/M 1365, but there is no information about the builder. The locals refer to it as "Sheikh Muhyiddin Mosque", which is given after the person who renovated the mosque in later periods.

The mosque has a square plan with quite a symmetrical and orderly dimension of 17.10x17.15 meters. The short-stubby minaret, which is octagonal in shape and made of cut stone masonry, has a single balcony that rises above the roof and is attached to the western wall of the building. There is a main entrance on the east side of the mosque with a slightly pointed arch that is framed by orderly cut stones. The inscription mentioned earlier is located above the entrance. The marble inscription board consists of two nested circles in a rectangular panel. The wide strip of text in between is decorated with plants on both sides. The western entrance is simpler and was added later. The rubble stone walls, which occasionally incorporate recycled materials, have been coated with cement and painted with colored plaster. The interior is illuminated by rectangular windows with wooden frames, and the larger lower windows are covered with iron grills.

The prayer hall is divided into five bays that extend perpendicular to the mihrab wall and are supported by rows of wooden columns with circular and polygonal sections. The central bay is wider than the others. The columns of the wooden mosque, which has a completely wooden structure and support system, become thinner at the top and have ornamental capitals. The muqarnas capitals in front of the mihrab are among the richest examples of wooden architecture in Anatolia. The edges of the columns in the back row are profiled and their sides are also decorated with carvings. The panels on the sides of the columns in the front row are decorated with calligraphic and floral motifs, which are repeated on the main rectangular beams that support the ceiling, as well as on the side and lower beams. The ceiling, which is covered with thin wooden boards, was originally built with wooden beams, but was later modified to its current form, as evidenced by existing traces.

The mihrab is made of wood and is carved into a semi-cylindrical niche shape on the southern wall. Its façade is framed with decorative strips of varying widths and the ajur technique is used, with embroidered pieces mounted to the ground with thin nails. This mihrab, which does not reflect the characteristics of its period, was found to have been made by Master Hasan from Ciftliközü village in 1954, and it was discovered that the original mihrab was made of plaster and was very richly decorated with geometric and botanical ornamentation. The pulpit and the gallery are also made of wood, but they have largely lost their originality due to renovations.