The Şaban Ağa Mosque, mentioned in Evliya Çelebi's Seyahatname, preserves its original structure

In the Ancient City of Stratonikeia, where artifacts from the Bronze, Classical, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Ottoman, and Republican periods coexist, excavation work is being carried out while historical structures from the Menteşe Beylik and Ottoman Empire are being restored.

During the restoration work carried out in the city, the Şaban Ağa Mosque, which is rumored to be where Suleiman the Magnificent prayed during his Rhodes campaign, is mentioned in Evliya Çelebi's Seyahatname, and is estimated to date back to the 14th-15th centuries, was restored to its original state with the support of the Muğla Governor's Office Investment Monitoring and Coordination Department.

At the entrance of the mosque, located next to the historical bath that greets visitors at the city's entrance, Roman-era column capitals found on the floor and the remains of the first mosque where Evliya Çelebi prayed when he visited are displayed under glass.

Prof. Dr. Bilal Söğüt, Head of the Stratonikeia Ancient City Excavation Committee, stated in an interview with AA that according to excavations and findings at the Şaban Ağa Mosque, a mosque existed here during the Menteşe Beylik period and was later repaired.

Noting that an inscription regarding the 1876 repair was also found, Söğüt recorded that the old mosque was expanded toward the south and east in 1912-1913, and that despite undergoing many repairs, the mosque has preserved its authenticity to this day, with all these periods displayed layer by layer under glass.

'THERE ARE THOSE WHO COME FROM ABROAD TO SEE IT'

Söğüt stated that the mosque, which has a rectangular plan, is illuminated by 16 windows placed on four walls, saying, "We knew that a bath and a mosque were built in the Menteşe Beylik period at the location of the Şaban Ağa Mosque at the entrance of the village. The fact that we have displayed the phases showing the periods when Evliya Çelebi and Suleiman the Magnificent visited this place under glass inside the mosque has attracted incredible interest. There are those who come from abroad specifically to see the restoration and applications we have carried out in the mosque. There have even been international publications about this."

Explaining that they have identified the ground where Suleiman the Magnificent and Evliya Çelebi prayed when they came to the city, and even the places described in his book, Söğüt expressed that they show these areas to visitors under glass and that visitors are very impressed by this.

Explaining that the mosque was last restored to its original state in 2017, Söğüt stated that it has become an area where visitors can both tour and perform their prayers, and that Stratonikeia is a living city of history and archaeology in this sense.

'BUILT IN 1912'

Pointing out that all the wooden architecture inside the Şaban Ağa Mosque was used one-to-one from the materials of the old mosque, Söğüt said, "The wooden pillars here stand as they were built in 1912. The spiral staircase leading to the women's gallery and the muezzin's platform above the narthex remain in their original state. We can see here a beautiful example of mosque architecture that has survived from the Beyliks period to the present day, along with the charity stone in front and the sarcophagus of Şaban Ağa."