Akça Mescit

Akça Mescit, one of the oldest structures in Adana, was commissioned by Ağcabey during the time of Ramazanoğlu Şahabeddin bey. The entrance door of the structure is decorated with reliefs with floral patterns, and its mihrab is made of stone and is quite impressive. Known as the oldest Turkish structure in Adana, Akça (Ağca) Mescit is located in Ulu Cami Mahallesi, 60 meters from Ulu Cami. It took this name because it was commissioned by Ağcabey, one of the Turkmen beys, during the time of Ramazanoğlu Şahabeddin Bey.

The structure, which was used as a museum depot in the 1930s, was repaired by the General Directorate of Foundations in 2004 after suffering serious damage in 1964 and in the 1998 earthquake. In the past, just as inscribed plaques indicating the construction date were placed on works built by the Turks, they were also dated by means of certain symbols. This form of dating, called ebcet, can also be seen on Akça mescit. Above the main entrance door where today's inscription is located, there were previously two bird figures made in relief, traces of which still exist today, and these bird figures form a date according to the ebcet calculation. Thus, since there are two bird figures corresponding to the number 406 here, the date 812 H, which is twice 406, emerges. If the ebcet calculation is accepted as correct, the work was built in 812 H. (1489). This date is of great importance in that it belongs to a time before 1513, the date of the first construction of Ulu Cami. Although the two bird figures said to have been in relief on the main entrance door are not present today, traces of two opposing bird figures can be seen on the right edge of the border surrounding the door.

On the inscription written on the pediment above the main entrance door of the work, the date 1184 H (1770) can be read, and from this date it is understood that the work was substantially repaired by a benefactor named Hacı Hasan Ağa. It is a small mescit with a single space and a single dome, with plan dimensions of approximately 10 meters x 10 meters. The body walls of the mescit, which was built of large, cut block stones, stand on a low platform and have a square plan. Covered with a high-drum dome, the work resembles a tomb from the outside. In the square-planned, single-domed structure, the transition to the dome is provided by pendentives. The dome also rests on four supporting arches that descend to the ground and are present on each façade. The structure is illuminated by two windows below and one above on the south and west façades.

Places to Visit in Adana Address: Akkapı, 01130 Seyhan/Adana