Akça Masjid, one of the oldest buildings in Adana, was built by Ağcabey during the time of Ramazanoğlu Şahabeddin Bey. The entrance door of the building is decorated with floral patterned relief and the altar is made of stone and is very impressive. Akça (Ağca) Masjid, known as the oldest Turkish structure in Adana, is located in the Ulu Cami District and 60 meters from the Ulu Mosque. It took this name because it was built by Ağcabey, one of the Turkmen lords, during the time of Ramazanoğlu Şahabeddin Bey.
The building, which was used as a museum warehouse in the 1930s, was repaired by the General Directorate of Foundations in 2004 after being seriously damaged in the 1964 and 1998 earthquakes. In the past, the works made by the Turks were not only written with inscriptions indicating the date of construction of the work, but they were also dated with some nicknames. This form of dating, called Ebcet, can also be seen on the Akça masjid. There are two bird figures, which were previously made in relief and traces of which are still visible today, on the doorway where today’s inscription is located, and these bird figures create a history according to ebcet. Thus, since there are two bird figures corresponding to the number 406, the date 812 H, which is twice the number 406, appears. If the Ebcet account evaluation is accepted to be correct, the work was made in 812 AH (1489). This date is of great importance as it predates 1513, the date of the first construction of the Grand Mosque. Although there are no two bird figures said to be reliefs on the icümle gate today, traces of two bird figures facing each other can be seen on the right edge of the border surrounding the gate.
The date 1184 H (1770) is read in the inscription written on the pediment above the door of the work, and it is understood from this date that the work was substantially repaired by a philanthropist named Hacı Hasan Ağa. It is a small masjid with a single space and a single dome, with plan dimensions of approximately 10 meters x 10 meters. The main walls of the masjid, which is made of large block cut stones, are on a low platform and have a square plan. The work, which is covered with a high drum dome, resembles a tomb from the outside. In the square-planned single-domed structure, the transition to the dome is provided by pendentives. The dome also rests on four suspension arches that reach down to the ground and are located on each façade. The building is illuminated by two windows at the bottom and one at the top, located on the south and west facades.
Places to Visit in Adana
Source: Adana Provincial Culture and Tourism Directorate
