Karatay Madrasa

Overview

At the foot of the citadel hill in Konya, a gray stone portal stands in front of a low dome. Step inside, however, and the dome above you glows with thousands of turquoise and black tiles, arranged in stars around an open eye to the sky. So this is the Karatay Madrasa, a school of 1251 that has been a museum of Seljuk tiles since 1955.

The Story of the Karatay Madrasa

To begin with, the vizier Jalal al-Din Qaratay founded the madrasa in 1251, when three Seljuk brothers, Kayqubad II, Kaykaus II and Kilij Arslan IV, ruled together. Because it went up after the Mongol invasions, its design is not purely Seljuk. Most likely, the founder himself rests in a side room, where a cenotaph still stands.

Sufis, scholars and a tile master from Tus

A biographer of Rumi, both Sufis and scholars gathered here. The tilework, in turn, was probably directed by Muhammad al-Tusi, a master ceramicist from the city of Tus in Khurasan.

What to See in the Karatay Madrasa

The portal

First, study the portal on the southeast side. Notice that it carries Arabic inscriptions, geometric and floral carving, bands of gray and white marble and a muqarnas canopy above the door. Interestingly, it is not joined to the building and closely resembles the portal of the nearby Alaeddin Mosque, so it may have been built earlier and reused.

The dome of stars

Next, step into the central hall, 12 by 12 meters (39 by 39 feet), with a square pool in the middle. Above you, in turn, tiles in turquoise and black cover the dome and the “Turkish triangles” that support it. At the very top, similarly, the oculus is about 5 meters (16 feet) across, and Kufic inscriptions run around it and along the base of the dome.

The museum of Seljuk tiles

Finally, explore the museum. Over time, its collection grew richer with tiles from the Kubadabad Palace, the summer residence of the Seljuk sultans on the shore of Lake Beyşehir, excavated since the 1960s. Look especially for the star-shaped tiles painted with figures and animals.

Tips for visiting the Karatay Madrasa

How to Visit the Karatay Madrasa

The museum stands at the foot of the citadel hill in central Konya, across from the ruins of the Seljuk palace. We arrange your entry to the Karatay Madrasa on a Konya day.

Then visit the stone and wood carvings of the İnce Minareli Madrasa and the Mevlana Museum, read about İznik tiles, the Ottoman heirs of this art, and see the wooden columns of the Eşrefoğlu Mosque near Kubadabad.