From the temple to the michramb
Fethiye Mosque
In the 13th century, the Cathedral of Taxiarch Michael is here. Two centuries later, the Turks arrive with their own religion. At first, they are discreet. They let Christians worship their God and build a wooden mejit, a place of prayer, not too far away. In 1611, however, Christians rebel without success and lose their privileges. They are thrown out of the Castle and the temple of Taxiarch is evacuated, while the mejit is reconstructed into a proper mosque. About two centuries later, Ali Pasha renovates it lavishly and discovers ruins of the Byzantine temple. It is possible that the two marble pieces which are decorated with flowers and are now in the michramb, that is to say the semicircular prayer niche, came from the iconostasis of the Christian temple.
As seen on
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