Karatay Medresesi Museum
Karatay Medresesi Museum
4.5
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as waiting time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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113 reviews
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David D
1,212 contributions
Oct 2022
This museum costs 20 lira to enter (as of October 2022). It is housed in a Seljuk era madrasah, which contains the tomb of its founder. The artwork is impressive, but if you are not into tiles it can be skipped. The building itself is quite nice however, so it can be worth a look if you are nearby and have time.
Written 25 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Taner
Izmir, Türkiye895 contributions
Jun 2023 • Solo
Karatay Madrasa, used as the Karatay Tile Works Museum, was built in 1251 by Emir Celaleddin Karatay during the time of Seljuk Sultan Izzeddin Keykavus II. The interiors of the madrasa are covered with mosaics and tiles. It is estimated that the minaret is Muhammed Bin Havlan. The madrasa was built in the "Closed Courtyard Madrasa" group, where hadith and tafsir sciences were taught during the Seljuk period. The body walls were built of stone, and the dome and vaults were built of brick. It is single storey. The entrance is made of sky and white marble from the east. Inscriptions related to the construction of the Madrasa are engraved on the door, which is a masterpiece of Seljuk Period stonemasonry, and selected verses and hadiths are engraved in relief on its other surfaces. There is the Tomb of Celaleddin Karatay in the Southwest Cell of the Madrasa. Karatay Madrasa, which has an important place in the Tile Workmanship of the Anatolian Seljuk Period, was opened to visitors in 1955 as the "Museum of Tile Works". Tiles from the Seljuk, Principalities and Ottoman Periods, especially Kubad-Abad Palace Tiles, Cabinets, Ceramic Plates and Oil Lamps are exhibited in the museum.
Written 6 March 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Susan C
Melbourne, Australia1,538 contributions
Mar 2024 • Couples
This is just a short stop and is quite a small museum. It wouldn't be something I would come just to Konya for but if coming for other sights I would make the effort to see it. Originally a madrasa (Islamic school) dating from 1251 the domes and archways of this museum are covered in blue-green titles that I thought looked stunning. In some areas the tiles are missing.
In the side chambers there are displays of tiles mostly from the Seljuk period, kilns, pottery, lamps and dishes. There is signposting about the history of the site and its restoration, madrasah education and the art of tile making. Outside (under cover) was the Anatolian Seljuk Stone Artifacts Exhibition (From Asia to Anatolia, history carved in stone) with, as you can guess from the description, stone carvings. This again was well-signposted and interesting.
In the side chambers there are displays of tiles mostly from the Seljuk period, kilns, pottery, lamps and dishes. There is signposting about the history of the site and its restoration, madrasah education and the art of tile making. Outside (under cover) was the Anatolian Seljuk Stone Artifacts Exhibition (From Asia to Anatolia, history carved in stone) with, as you can guess from the description, stone carvings. This again was well-signposted and interesting.
Written 29 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
worldnomad_01
Los Angeles, CA1,596 contributions
Sept 2022
The place was built and functioned as a madrassa until 1955. Nowadays it is a museum hosting mainly some tiles and pottery from the Seljuk times. It's a nice building, nice Seljuk architecture but, in my opinion, not much of a museum...
Perhaps worth a short visit.
Perhaps worth a short visit.
Written 17 October 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
TubaKoseogluOkcu
Istanbul, Türkiye6,916 contributions
Dec 2012 • Friends
This building was established in mid 13th century as a religious school (madrasah) and served as one until end of 19th century and since 1955, it serves as tiles museum. The entrance gate stands as one of the best examples of stone carving craftmanship of Seldjuk period. Tiles exhibited on the walls and ceiling are Persian style and are quite different than Turkish İznik tiles both in terms of color and pattern. It's one of the must sees in Konya as it's one of the richest tiles display in the country.
Written 6 January 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Behnaz-R
Tehran, Iran21 contributions
Jun 2018 • Solo
If you are interested in antic objects, this is the place you should visit in Konya but don't expect visiting a huge or sophisticated museum. This in a simple and little but worth-visiting museum.
Written 7 April 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
FethiyeSevinAlkan
Istanbul, Türkiye25 contributions
Sept 2018 • Friends
When you go there make sure you have your earphones playing "A sky full of stars" by Coldplay.
Just a suggestion nobody forces you to do so, but if you pay attention to this humble suggestion then please
do the same for the second one : Meditate under the dome with the music in your ears. The dome may be
one of the most beautiful domes mankind ever created. Yes, it is full of stars and there is an opening right
at the center and a pool just just under this hole. Meditation will help you visualize the reflection of the stars
on the pool entering through this hole. It may also help to comprehend the vision of the man who created this
medrese. On the main entrance, there is a hadith hidden in kufic writing " es sual'u nısf-ul-ilm" which says "knowing
to question is half of the science". This wise emir, named Celaleddin Karatay lies in his tomb in a cell on the southeastern
part of the medrese and on the wall of this cell there is a tile panel not older than 70-80 years which seems to be built for
some commercial purposes. Why is it there? Nobody knows. Perhaps Celaleddin Karatay would not mind it as we do now.
Kara means powerful, strong and Tay means companion.
No need to say, it is a must to go to Karatay Medresesi if you happen to be in Konya, rather, it is by itself can be the reason
to go to Konya
Just a suggestion nobody forces you to do so, but if you pay attention to this humble suggestion then please
do the same for the second one : Meditate under the dome with the music in your ears. The dome may be
one of the most beautiful domes mankind ever created. Yes, it is full of stars and there is an opening right
at the center and a pool just just under this hole. Meditation will help you visualize the reflection of the stars
on the pool entering through this hole. It may also help to comprehend the vision of the man who created this
medrese. On the main entrance, there is a hadith hidden in kufic writing " es sual'u nısf-ul-ilm" which says "knowing
to question is half of the science". This wise emir, named Celaleddin Karatay lies in his tomb in a cell on the southeastern
part of the medrese and on the wall of this cell there is a tile panel not older than 70-80 years which seems to be built for
some commercial purposes. Why is it there? Nobody knows. Perhaps Celaleddin Karatay would not mind it as we do now.
Kara means powerful, strong and Tay means companion.
No need to say, it is a must to go to Karatay Medresesi if you happen to be in Konya, rather, it is by itself can be the reason
to go to Konya
Written 15 October 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Adelalzayed
Sale, Morocco149 contributions
Aug 2016 • Couples
If you are in Konya and have the time do not miss visiting this museum it is a short walk from Mawlana museum. It is a small but informative and the and the tickets are very reasonable
Written 8 August 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
matthiashess
New York City, NY222 contributions
Dec 2014 • Couples
The tilework and painted items inside are beautiful, as is the main dome overhead. There are some interesting sarcophagi and ancient exposed pipes in the floor. The entire museum will take less than an hour for the average person to see, and at 5TL it's a bargain. Take a moment to enjoy the garden as well, where there are restrooms underground.
Written 24 December 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
656JB
Elmira, NY31 contributions
May 2013 • Solo
In architectural terms, this is the most interesting building in Konya. The tile work, dating to the medieval period, is in pretty good condition. It features mainly geometric patterns together with very intricate arabesques and Arabic inscriptions. The interior is also very cool, which is nice if the weather outside is hot. The exhibition cases feature many different examples of tile work from the Seljuk period, and also features and nicely describes some of the nearby archaeological sites. For an entrance of fee of just 3 Liras, his museum a site not to be missed!
Written 10 May 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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