Religious · Kadirli, Osmaniye
Ala Mosque
A building that passed from monastery to church to mosque, known for its layered history.
- Faith tourism
- History
Image coming soon
Ala Mosque, in central Kadirli, has four distinct building phases spanning the Early Byzantine to Ottoman periods; it was built first as a monastery and then as a church. In the 15th century, Kasım Bey, son of the Dulkadirid Alaüddevle Bozkurt Bey, converted the church into a mosque by adding a minaret on its west side and a mihrab on the south wall, naming it 'Alaüddevle Mescidi'. Its mosaic floor, colonnaded sections and reused Roman columns still show its layered past. Visiting conditions may have changed since the 2023 earthquakes; check before you go.