Dabakhane Mosque Şanlıurfa Minaret Tile Restoration

Dabakhane Mosque Şanlıurfa Minaret Tile Restoration

For the restoration of the hexagonal tiles adorning the minaret of the 1568 Dabakhane Mosque in Şanlıurfa, 40 tiles were faithfully produced by İznik Mavi Çini in 2025. The clay bodies of the 16 × 18 cm hexagonal tiles were shaped by hand and their decoration was painted by hand.

Dabakhane Mosque Şanlıurfa Minaret Tile Restoration Dabakhane Mosque Şanlıurfa Minaret Tile Restoration Dabakhane Mosque Şanlıurfa Minaret Tile Restoration Dabakhane Mosque Şanlıurfa Minaret Tile Restoration Dabakhane Mosque Şanlıurfa Minaret Tile Restoration Dabakhane Mosque Şanlıurfa Minaret Tile Restoration

Dabakhane Mosque takes its name from the tanneries (dabakhane), the leather-working workshops of the area where it stands. According to the inscription on the western gate of the mosque courtyard, the building was completed in 975 AH (1568 CE), during the reign of Sultan Selim II.

The minaret of Dabakhane Mosque rises at the northwest corner of the courtyard. Its lower section is octagonal, its middle section cylindrical and its upper section twelve-sided, and it has the richest stone decoration among the minarets of Urfa. The hexagonal tiles set at intervals along its shaft reflect 16th-century Ottoman tile art; their floral compositions resemble the tiles on the minaret of the Siverek Grand Mosque (Ulu Camii), dated 1574.

The minaret of Dabakhane Mosque partially collapsed in the 6 February 2023 earthquakes and was repaired in a restoration completed in 2025. In this restoration, some of the minaret’s tiles were renewed; İznik Mavi Çini produced 40 hexagonal tiles modeled on an original tile taken from the minaret.

“We produced each renewed tile using the original tile from the minaret as a model, shaping its clay body by hand and painting its pattern by hand.”

— İznik Mavi Çini, Senior Restoration Workshop Manager

Who produced the tiles on the minaret of Dabakhane Mosque?
The renewed hexagonal tiles on the minaret were produced by İznik Mavi Çini in 2025. The minaret’s original tiles reflect 16th-century Ottoman tile art.

Are all the tiles on the Dabakhane Mosque minaret new?
No. Only some of the minaret’s tiles were renewed in the restoration; the others are the minaret’s original tiles.

Which building’s tiles do the Dabakhane Mosque minaret tiles resemble?
The floral compositions of the hexagonal tiles on the minaret resemble the tiles on the minaret of the Siverek Grand Mosque, dated 1574. Both minarets reflect 16th-century Ottoman tile art.

Was the minaret of Dabakhane Mosque damaged in the earthquake?
Yes. Part of the minaret collapsed in the 6 February 2023 earthquakes; the minaret was restored and rebuilt in 2025.

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