Crooked Minaret (Eğri Minare)

The Crooked Minaret (Eğri Minare) is Aksaray’s best-known landmark. It was built under the Anatolian Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Kayqubad I, between 1221 and 1237. Because it is made of red brick, locals also call it the Red Minaret (Kızıl Minare).

Over time the ground settled and the minaret began to lean noticeably — the feature that gave it its name and its fame. The mosque beside it is a later addition; the real treasure is the minaret itself, with its Seljuk brick and tile work.

History

The reign of Alaeddin Kayqubad I was the political and economic high point of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum. In the same years, great caravanserais such as Sultanhanı and Ağzıkarahan were built around Aksaray, and the city became a key stop on the caravan road running east from Konya. The Crooked Minaret is one of the few buildings of that era still standing inside the city.

The lean increased over the centuries, and in 1973 the shaft was secured with steel cables because of the risk of collapse. The tilt is easy to read in the courses of brick when you look closely.

Architecture and decoration

A cylindrical shaft rises from a square base and is divided into two parts by a thin moulding. The lower part has zigzag brickwork, while the upper part was covered with blue and green tile mosaic — the finest example in Aksaray of the brick-and-tile combination also seen on Seljuk minarets in Konya.

• Cylindrical brick shaft on a square base
• Zigzag brick pattern on the lower part
• Traces of blue and green tile mosaic above
• Steel cables bracing the shaft since 1973

Legends

Science explains the lean as ground settlement, but local stories say the minaret “bowed” in respect to a saint or towards Mecca. These tales are not documented history, yet they show how firmly the minaret is rooted in the city’s memory.

Getting there from Neva Apart

Neva Apart is in Aksaray city centre, a few minutes’ walk from the Zinciriye Madrasa and the Grand Mosque; the distances below are measured from our aparthotel.

The minaret is in the city centre, about a 10-minute walk from Neva Apart, and easily combined with the Grand Mosque.

Tips for your visit

The best angle to see the lean is from the opposite pavement, looking at the shaft side-on. Afternoon light brings out the colour of the red brick — ideal for photos.

To learn more about the Seljuk era, read our guide to the Seljuk caravanserais.

Other places nearby

• Grand Mosque of Aksaray (Ulu Cami) – Built in 1408–1409 for Mehmed II of Karaman, Aksaray’s Grand Mosque pairs a Seljuk-style carved portal with a pointed-arched stone prayer hall.
• Zinciriye Madrasa – Built in 1336 under the Karamanids, with a four-iwan courtyard plan and castle-like crenellated walls — the only historic madrasa still standing in Aksaray.
• Umbrella Street & City-Centre Cafés – Aksaray’s pedestrian bazaar street shaded by colourful umbrellas, the Clock Tower area and its cafés — a few minutes’ walk from Neva Apart.
• Aksaray Museum – Home to a 10,500-year-old skull bearing the earliest known brain surgery, the Ihlara and Çanlı Kilise mummies and the Luwian Aksaray Stele — 10,000 years of local history.

Sources

• Wikipedia – Aksaray

Image credits

• The brick Crooked Minaret (Eğri Minare), symbol of Aksaray – Dosseman, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons
• The Crooked Minaret and the nearby stone arch bridge – Dosseman, CC BY-SA 4.0, Wikimedia Commons