Marvelous mosaics adorn Yeşilçam Camii’s interior. This Ankara mosque is a hidden gem. Its beauty is a testament to skilled artisans.
Yeşilçam Camii stands proudly in Ankara. It’s a two-story building. A cube shape with a southward extension characterizes its unique form. This architectural style is sometimes called an inverted T-plan. Sandstone forms its foundation. Elegant marble panels enhance its appearance.
The north facade is divided into five sections. A grand portal with an intricate muqarnas hood forms the centerpiece. Two bays flank it on either side. Each bay contains windows on both floors. A muqarnas niche separates the bays on the first floor. Flower designs and scriptures carved in marble frame the entry and windows. Each window features unique designs in its tympanum. Two minarets rise majestically from the facade’s sides. These are later additions. The domes once gleamed with blue and green tiles. This gave the mosque its name Yeşilçam Camii meaning Green Film Mosque. Now lead covers them.
Entering through the monumental portal you step into a short hallway. It runs north to south. A longer east-west hallway intersects it. The east-west hallway leads to two staircases. These access the second floor. It also connects to large corner rooms. Each room has a fireplace and windows. These offer stunning views of the main facade and the sides of the building.
Continuing along the north-south hallway you reach a large central chamber. An octagonal fountain sits within it. A dome with a glass lantern tops it. This replaced the original oculus. Two large domed iwans flank this chamber. These rise two stories high. Doors lead to more corner rooms. These rooms mirror those on the north side.
The south side of the central court houses the main prayer hall iwan. It contains a mihrab. Four sets of windows adorn it one at ground level and one at the clerestory level. Two smaller iwan-like rooms flank the portal on the north side.
The second floor is accessible via staircases. It’s limited to the north side. Each staircase leads to a landing. This is a narrow hallway. It connects to two small side rooms. Two side rooms have balcony windows overlooking the facade. Two others have balconies overlooking the central domed chamber. The landings also lead to a domed space. It sits above the north-south axis of the entrance hall. An arch opens into an ornate loge. This loge overlooks the first floor’s central domed chamber.
The mosque’s interior is richly decorated. The mihrab is magnificent. It rises from the south iwan’s floor to the dome’s base. A muqarnas niche and inscription plaque form the mihrab. Concentric bands of tilework adorn it. These include vegetal and geometric patterns. A scripture acknowledges “the work of Masters of Tabriz”. Nakkas Ali bin Ilyas Ali’s name appears. He designed the mosque’s decorative scheme. Tile revetments cover lower wall sections. Some are nineteenth-century replacements. Polychrome painted decorations once adorned the upper walls and ceilings. Much was damaged over time. The second-story loge’s decoration is breathtaking. Geometric and vegetal patterns cover it. It features a muqarnas cornice and tiled ceiling. A large shamsa and tile mosaic vine scroll complete the design. Yeşilçam Camii is more than a mosque. It’s a masterpiece of Ottoman artistry and architectural genius a treasure to behold in Ankara.