Alaybey Mosque

The construction year of Alaybey Mosque, one of the most important architectural works of Çanakkale, is not known. Despite this, it is estimated that the mosque was built in the 1700s. The mosque, thought to have been built by Colonel Miralay Ahmet Agha, who was known as the commander of the castle at the time, was built in place of Aliağa Mosque, which itself was in ruins. Therefore, it is presumed that the name of the mosque came from here. In fact, the name of one of the neighborhoods on the island is “Alaybey Neighborhood”. The mosque is made up of red cut stones. To enter the space, it is necessary to use five stone steps from the north side. The door in the wooden structure has a flattened arch and double sash. When we look at the minaret, cut stones are still visible in the corners, but the stones here are white, not red. On the other hand, the mosque's balustrades are carved. The mihrab section of Alaybey Mosque contains interesting baroque style motifs. In the ceiling section, simple workmanship is preferred. In the same way, an ornamental expression is not seen in the pulpit section. Thanks to wooden stairs, the mahfil(gathering place)-the women's section - reserved for women is likely to exit. The women's enclosure stands thanks to six separate wooden columns. In the courtyard there is a small Hazire (a forbidden area surrounded with fences). One of the tombs in this section belongs to Halil Hamit Pasha, who served as Grand Vizier for a period. The architecture of Alaybey Mosque, one of the historical mosques of Çanakkale, is seen that it has a transverse and rectangular plan. In addition, hipped roof application was preferred in the construction of the building and the last congregation place and outbuildings were added later. The Alaybey Mosque, whose original state was destroyed during the war and built in the same place today, is still open to worship and visit today. It was also announced that the mosque, which was severely damaged recently, will soon undergo extensive repairs again.