Around Ephesus
Isa Bey Mosque, Selcuk
Key answer
The Isa Bey Mosque stands on the slope below the Ayasuluk hill in Selcuk, between the Basilica of St John and the plain of the Artemision. Built in 1375 under the Aydinid ruler Isa Bey, it is a major surviving mosque of the Anatolian beylik period and remains in use for worship.
The building and its date
The mosque was built in 1375 for Isa Bey of the Aydinid principality, in the period between Seljuk rule and the consolidation of the Ottoman state. Its architecture belongs to that transition: a courtyard, a broad prayer hall, domes over the central bays and carved stone detail at the entrance.
Columns and marble reused from the ancient city and its surroundings are built into the mosque, one of the clearest examples in the area of how the ruins of Ephesus were reused by later builders.
Its place in the landscape
The mosque sits directly below the Ayasuluk hill, so the basilica above it, the mosque itself and the Artemision on the plain are all within sight of each other. That grouping is the short version of the region's history: Greek and Roman sanctuary, Byzantine church, Anatolian Turkish mosque.
Visiting an active mosque
The Isa Bey Mosque is a working place of worship as well as a monument. Visitors remove their shoes before entering the prayer hall, dress modestly with shoulders and knees covered, and women usually cover their hair; visits are avoided during prayer times.
Access arrangements are set locally and can change, particularly around Friday prayers, so this page does not publish opening hours.
Common questions
In 1375, under Isa Bey of the Aydinid principality, in the period between Seljuk and Ottoman rule in western Anatolia.
It is an active mosque that visitors may enter outside prayer times, with shoes removed and modest dress. Arrangements are set locally and change, so check on the day.