Karatay (Encaustic Tile Works) Museum

Karatay Madrasa has been had constructed by Emir Celaleddin Karatay in Sultan İzzeddin Keykavus II period, in the year 649 in accordance with Islamic calendar (1251 Gregorian). Its architect is not known. The madrasa used in the Ottoman Period has been left at the end of 19th century.

The madrasa has been constructed from Sille stone in "Closed Madrasa" type for providing education about hadith and Koran commenting in Seljuk Period. It is single - floored. Entrance is provided from the eastern side via a door made of sky and white marble. The door is a masterpiece of Seljuk Period stone workmanship. It is ornamented with inscriptions and motifs. There are inscriptions relating to the construction of the madrasa on the door. Selected verses of Koran and hadiths are written in the form of relieves on other surfaces of the door.

Through the door, a courtyard, which was covered with a dome before (now open), is entered and from there passage to the madrasa is provided through a door. On the door rim, in the borders on the upper parts of the walls and on the panel over the cell doors, verses of Koran are written. Bismillahirrahmanirrahim and Ayet - el Kürsi are written on the arch of the liwan with cradle vault which is in the western side of the building. On the triangles, which are elements of transition to the dome, the names of Mohammed, Christ, Moses and David prophets and the names of four caliphs (Ebu Bekir, Ömer, Osman, Ali) are written. The domed cell on the left side of the liwan is the tomb of Celaleddin Karatay.

A big part of the mosaic encaustic tiles on the walls of the madrasa have been shed. The colors used in the encaustic tiles are turquoise, indigo and black.

Karatay Madrasa, having an important place in Anatolian Seljuk Period encaustic tile workmanship has been opened to visit as "Museum of Encaustic Tile Works" in 1955.

The exhibited works belong to Anatolian Seljuk and Ottoman Periods. In the cell, where Celaleddin Karatay Tomb is located and in the student cells in the south, Kubad - Abad Palace encaustic tiles, plaster ornaments, encaustic tile plates, candles and non - glazed ceramics are exhibited. The encaustic tiles of Kubad - Abad Palace are in the form of cross, semi - cross, star with eight corners and square and are made with luster and under - glaze technique. Kubad - Abad Palace, which has been constructed upon the order of Alaeddin Keykubat the 1st, has been found by Konya Museum Director Zeki Oral in 1949, after İbrahim Hakkı Konyalı and Prof. Dr. Osman Turan pointed out that it should be around Beyşehir. Kubad - Abad, which has been left to itself for a long period after the excavation studies and drilling works of Zeki Oral in 1952, Katharina Ottodorn in 1965 - 1966 and Mehmet Önder in 1967, has been re-handled by Prof. Dr. Rüçhan Arık starting from 1980 and systematic excavations have been started.

Encaustic tile ruins belonging to Seljuk Period and ceramics belonging to the Seljuk and Ottoman Period are exhibited in the liwan. In the domed hall, glass plates, encaustic tile parts belonging to the Seljuk Period, ceiling centers of Beyşehir Eşrefoğlu Mosque and ceramics belonging to the Ottoman Period are located.

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