The iwan-portal that forms the entrance to the Ilyas Bey Mosque, as seen from within its courtyard. It consists primarily of an arcade divided into three flat-top (Bursa) arches, which is supported by two marble columns. Of the three arches, the wider, central one houses the entrance, while the other two contain marble balustrades and serve as windows. The tympana of the latter two arches are decorated with floral and geometric motifs.
The Ilyas Bey Mosque too, like the Isa Bey Mosque (see AP.059-063), has undergone considerable renovation. It was the center of a hugely successful renovation and conservation project which won it the European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage in 2012. Built in the very early fourteenth century, the mosque forms part of the larger Isa Bey Complex, which includes a madrasa and two hamams, and is named after its patron Şücaeddin [Shuja‘ al-Din] İlyas Bey (r. AH 805–27 / AD 1402–24). The mosque and the madrasa are part of the same broad-walled garden, and share the same courtyard. The Ilyas Bey mosque is square in plan (approximately 18 by 18 metres) with one large dome about 14 metres in diameter and made of brick. The walls of the mosque are covered with re-used marble slabs. -MA
Şakir Çakmak "Ilyas Bey Complex" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2017. 2017. http://www.discoverislamicart.org/database_item.php?id=monuments;ISL;tr;Mon01;10;en
Creation date unknown. Processing date unknown. Formerly catalogued as B41.065, N.009. Notes written on the slide or index: Balat - Ilyas Bey Camii.
