From Konya, we drove to Lake Beşehir for an overnight homestay. On the way, we stopped in Beşehir to see the 13th-century Eşrefoğlu Mosque. The imam, Ismael Geci - showed us this fabulous cedar-pillared mosque with a stone well in the center where they used to pack snow from the roof in winter to keep the humidity up all summer to prevent the wood from cracking (they now use humidifier, much less romantic). It has a gorgeous faience-tiled mihrab.
The imam is a lovely man, well educated (all imams here are required to complete university training), great voice - he kindly did the call to prayer for us.
Mosque exterior, with its beautiful entrance and honeycombed arch:
Interior with cedar columns:
The now-disused snow pit:
Mihrab, which shows the direction of Mecca for prayers, and pulpit from which the imam delivers the sermon or lesson:
The imam is a lovely man, well educated (all imams here are required to complete university training), great voice - he kindly did the call to prayer for us.
Interior with cedar columns:
The now-disused snow pit:
Mihrab, which shows the direction of Mecca for prayers, and pulpit from which the imam delivers the sermon or lesson:
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