Description of the attraction
Kesik Minare (Truncated Minaret) is located near the ruins of a mosque and the Greek temple of St. Peter. Back in the nineteenth century, the tower was seriously damaged, but despite this, it deserves attention. The minaret is of architectural value and embodies a combination of different styles, which is especially noticeable thanks to the capitals. The structure is decorated with reliefs along the edges of doors and windows and marble columns, and vaulted gates lead into the minaret.
The history of the minaret originates from ancient times. As studies of the elements of the construction of the mosque have shown, its past stretched back to the 2nd century AD. Then an ancient temple was located on this place. And in the 5th century, the Byzantines made it into the Church of the Virgin Mary. According to legend, a very valuable icon painted by Saint Luke was kept there. And the patterned stone carving served as the icon frame. During the Arab invasions of the seventh century, the church suffered significant damage, but in the tenth century it was rebuilt and slightly enlarged.
In the 13th century, when the Seljuk tribes began to dominate these lands, a minaret was attached to the church, and the church itself turned into a mosque. In 1361, the Cypriot king Peter I conquered Antalya from the Seljuks, now the mosque is again becoming a Christian church. In 1361 - 1373 the city was occupied by the Cypriot Knights Hospitallers of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem and the church is used as a Christian Catholic church. Then it was again transformed into a church of Byzantine Orthodox Christians.
In the fifteenth century, Shehzade Korkut, the ruler of Antalya appointed by Sultan Bayazid II, again turns the church into a mosque and calls it the Korkut Mosque (Korkut Jami). During the earthquake of 1480, described by Leonardo da Vinci, it was completely destroyed. In the nineteenth century, due to a lightning strike, the mosque is engulfed in fire. Only the minaret remains, which after the catastrophe has no top.
There is no unequivocal answer to the question why the minaret became broken off. Some historians argue that these are the consequences of the fire, due to which the mosque itself collapsed, others say that the top of the building was cut into the minaret by lightning. Currently, the minaret still stands without a top, and the ancient building is in ruins. Therefore, the minaret is called the "Truncated minaret", or the Kesik minaret.
Now the building with numerous damages is not used. However, it is shown to travelers as interesting ruins, where you can see a rare combination of building elements from ancient Byzantium and the Seljuk period. Whatever it was, but now Antalya has its own "broken" attraction. The truncated minaret is regularly restored, but it is never completely repaired - the broken off top of the minaret has already become a kind of symbol of Antalya.
