Belen Mosque

The name Belen Mosque comes from the word "belen"—meaning hill—and indeed, the structure sits slightly elevated at the foot of Hisarbaşı hill. The exact date of construction is unknown, but its architectural features date it to the 14th century. According to some sources, Hoca Mukbil converted it from a church into a mosque. In 1750, Mehmet Sait Ağa, and then in 1811, Ömer Ağa, built the minaret that gave the building its present form. When you step inside, four antique columns greet you—and they tell this mosque's true story. These columns came from another ancient structure. Two of them have capitals in the Corinthian order. In other words, they were brought here in the 14th century from a temple in Mylasa, perhaps from the era of Hekatomnos, or from some other public building—and installed here. This is a prime example of continuity you often see in Anatolian mosque architecture: building stones circulate across centuries, a column that once served ancient gods becomes the backbone of a new place of faith.