İnce Minareli Madrasah is one of the important historical monuments of Konya. The stone, brick and tile decorations in the İnce Minareli Madrasah reflect the general architectural features of the Anatolian Seljuk period. It was built by a Seljuk vizier and is located to the west of Alaeddin Hill. The madrasah has a closed courtyard and a single iwan. There used to be a mosque next to the madrasah, but its minaret was destroyed. The minaret on the front façade of the masjid, which was built adjacent to the madrasah, was demolished in the past years. It is one of the three madrasahs in Konya whose courtyard is covered with a dome. The plan of the building, which has a uniform stone and brick workmanship, has a closed courtyard and belongs to the group of madrasahs with a single iwan. The symmetrical planned building is entered through the portal in the east. There is a pool in the courtyard in the center of the building. There are four student cells in the north and south, and the main iwan between two domed rooms in the west.

The madrasah is decorated with tiles both inside and outside. It is believed that tiles were also used in the construction of its minaret. When the tile decorations in İnce Minareli Madrasah are examined, it is seen that the main iwan arches, window corners and pediments, the dome drum, the transition triangles to the dome and the interior of the dome are decorated with monochromatic glazed bricks and mosaic tiles. Although some tiles of the madrasah could not reach the present day, it is possible to find some information about them. This information obtained from various sources is also included in our research.

The research focused on examining the tile decorations of the İnce Minareli Madrasah through field and space studies. We also documented the necessary photographs and conducted studies in the Konya Karatay Madrasah Museum warehouse where the tiles were kept. The aim was to take photographs and measurements of the tile pieces found during the excavations of the İnce Minareli Madrasah area, which is our research subject. All the findings obtained from the studies were documented and it was observed that there was a total of thirty-seven pieces of tiles, and that these works were registered in the inventory documents of the museum. These documents contain information such as the inventory number of the tile pieces, their location, and the periods they belong to. We obtained all the necessary information from these documents and used them in our research.

Information about the tiles of the madrasah, which are not available today, was found from some sources. Similarly, old photographs of the architectural structure found in the sources allow us to have information about our research subject. The tiles of the madrasah architecture that are present in today’s structure have also important data from which we can obtain information about the tile pieces unearthed by excavations.

Our research topic has been thoroughly examined with the help of the report prepared by the expert archaeologists of the Konya Museum Directorate and the information obtained from relevant sources. After analyzing the tiles found in the İnce Minareli Madrasah and those obtained from excavations, it is evident that some of the tiles found during excavations belong to the architectural structure, while it is uncertain whether some of them belong to the building. The tiles of the İnce Minareli Madrasah, which were unearthed by excavations, were identified based on the tiles found in the madrasah, and the research revealed the similarities of the tiles through photographs. 

When the general characteristics of the tiles unearthed during the excavations around the İnce Minareli Madrasah are examined, it is revealed that they are mostly damaged and broken. It can be seen that some tile pieces were later put on gypsum boards. It can also be seen that the tiles, which are glazed in monochromatic shades of eggplant purple and turquoise, are examples of both mosaic and monochromatic glazing techniques. No ornamentation was painted with a brush on the tile surfaces. It is clear that the tiles discovered during the excavation have geometrical forms and shapes.

When we look at the tiles with mosaic technique, it is understood that they were made by creating a composition with geometric motifs. Star, triangle, rectangle, bow tie, square and hexagonal shaped tiles were used. Besides, it was determined that there were no ornaments with floral motifs. Single color glazed tiles are generally turquoise glazed pieces. While the use of hexagonal form is clearly seen in these tiles consisting of geometric forms; it can be said that forms such as star, square, triangle, rectangle, etc. were used, as the other pieces are broken. The cream-colored paste tiles were applied individually in the architecture or as part of an ongoing composition.

These tiles are believed to have been added to the surface of the architecture by arranging tiles into various geometric compositions. The research includes photographs that illustrate similar tiled applications that can be found in some architectural structures from the Anatolian Seljuk period. Therefore, it was assumed that some of the tiles found had been used for the mosque’s mihrab, the madrasah’s minaret, and the madrasah’s wall surface. It was understood that some of the tiles were part of the border because of their continuous composition, even though some of them were applied to the architecture’s surface as a single piece. Photographs show those with similar compositions, which are identified in the research. There are also examples of tiles in various sizes that are different from one another in form and shape. 

Since not all the tiles of the madrasah are available today, it is not possible to determine the exact location of the tiles unearthed during the excavations. The form, shape and techniques of the tiles unearthed during the excavations are important elements that help us to determine the architectural element they were used for. The geometrical compositions of the mosaic technique tile fragments give us direction about their use in architecture. They indicate that they are part of an ongoing ornamentation or composition. The monochrome glazed pieces, on the other hand, indicate their use in architecture according to their form and shape. The tile fragments found consist of geometrically shaped pieces formed by combining geometrically shaped small tile fragments. No floral motif ornamentation is observed on their surfaces. 

The tile fragments, which are presumed to belong to the İnce Minareli Madrasah and the masjid, were marked in red on the plan of the architectural structure in order to understand where they belong. While the locations of some of the tile fragments could be determined with the information obtained from the relevant sources, visuals and photographs taken, predictions were made about some of them. Some of them were questioned whether they belonged to the madrasah or not. The form, composition and dimensions of the tile fragments allow us to make predictions about the places where they may have been applied. The iwan walls of the madrasah, cells, minaret, mihrab section and side walls of the masjid were identified as architectural sections where tile fragments could have been used.

During the excavation, various tile pieces were discovered and given identifying names such as artifact 1, artifact 2, and artifact 3. Photographs were taken up to art 17 for documentation purposes. The tile pieces were analyzed in detail and categorized by inventory number, name, technique, location, dimensions, and definition under the title of the Artifact. The tiles made with the techniques frequently used in Turkish tile art, single-color glazed and mosaic techniques, are examined under the titles of artifact 1 and artifact 17. Tiles with mosaic technique are seen in; artifact 3, artifact 6, artifact 7, artifact 8, artifact 9, artifact 10, artifact 11, artifact 12, artifact 13, artifact 17, while tiles with single color glaze are seen in; artifact 1, artifact 2, artifact 4, artifact 5, artifact 14, artifact 15, and artifact 16.  

In this research, the excavated tiles from the İnce Minareli Madrasah, which is an architectural structure from the Anatolian Seljuk period, were studied to determine their corresponding architectural element by comparing them with similar tiled samples. The study aims to contribute to the preservation of tile art and cultural artifacts. The tiles found were documented with photographs and thoroughly described to add value to science and the art of tiles. This study is expected to inspire similar research and bring new knowledge to the field.

This research, which is defined as the examination of the tiles belonging to the İnce Minareli Madrasah registered in the inventory of Konya Karatay Museum, deals with the tile fragments found as a result of the excavations. The tiles were analyzed in detail under the subheadings of “inventory number, work name and technique, location, dimensions and description”. This research, which was prepared by collecting sources and documents related to the subject, was prepared with the available information obtained. In this research, which is a long and laborious study; on-site studies, photographs taken, measurements taken, collection of sources and comparisons with similar tiles were made in order to examine the tile pieces. It is aimed to contribute to science and art with this original and qualified research.