EŞREFOĞLU Mosque

From 1299 to today...
The location is Beyşehir town centre, beside the lake...
A 700 year old work of art rises up from columns made solely of tree trunks.
How is it that this wooden structure does not contort, crack, become worm infested or rot?
The wooden columns were painted using natural root dye and still retain their original colour. Do these colours never fade?
What kind of engineering techniques were used 700 years ago that enables this mosque to remain standing perfectly upright even after hundreds of years?
There was never the need to use metal joints like nails or screws in the construction of this magnificent wooden structure. Dovetail/inlay techniques were used throughout.
"Cedar was used for the wooden columns and the headpieces were carved from Ebony, the wood being conserved naturally, without the use of any chemicals, by submerging it into the Beyşehir Lake for 6 months. "
In the middle of the mosque, there is a square pit. At the start of spring, snow and ice used to be carried down from nearby mountains and used to fill this pit so that people could pray in a cool and refreshing environment during the hot summer days.
The Minbar (Islamic type of pulpit) was carved out of a complete tree and finished using inlays. Needless to say, no nails or screws were used.
Islamic calligraphy was used to write the word ALLAH in the center of the Minbar door, with the names of the four Caliphates in the four corners.
On the upper-left corner, this magnificent craftsman Isa wrote his name as: "Worker Isa" This can only be the pinnacle of modesty.