As the name suggests, the Kaletepe Mosque is located on the so-called Theater Hill (Kaletepe) in Miletus, about 54 meters north of the citadel, right in the center of the hilltop. It stands on top of an ancient settlement dating back to the Classical period. The single-room mosque (mescit) measures approximately 10.18 x 8.74 m in plan. Only the foundations of the approximately 80 cm thick walls remain. These consist of spolia—primarily rubble stones—set in hard lime mortar. The prayer niche (mihrab), which faces Mecca and is flanked on either side by a pillar, is located in the center of the eastern wall and was built of brick. The mosque had two entrances, one on the western and one on the northern side. Neither the floor of the building nor the roof structure has survived. Given the building’s small size, the roof is reconstructed as a flat roof.

The mosque serves as a testament to the significance of Kaletepe in the history of settlement at the beginning of the Emirate period, while Balat was under the rule of the principality (Beylik) of Menteşe. A Muslim cemetery with several graves was located in its immediate vicinity.

Text: Nadia Cahenzli