During its long history, the Ala Cami Mosque witnessed the birth and death of at least three empires: The Roman, Byzantine and Ottoman. That is why the appearance of the mosque keeps traces of each of them. The mosque is located in the center of the Kadirli district in the Turkish province of Osmaniye. The mosque occupies a very important position in terms of history and culture.
History of Ala Cami Mosque
Ala Cami mosque was built by the Romans at the beginning of the 2nd century and was originally a monastery. In the 5th century, a church was added to the monastery. In the 11th century, the territory on which the church building was located, was won by Kasim Bey, the son of Dulkadiroglu Alauddelevle Bozkurt Bey. He turned the church into a mosque and gave it the name Alauddevle Mescit. A little later with time, the name of the mosque was reduced to the modern “Ala”.
Up to the 19th century, the mosque was repeatedly destroyed due to the wars that took place on this territory and was repeatedly restored. During the Ottoman Empire, the mosque building was used as an armory. Since 1924, the building of the mosque was gradually abandoned.
Finally, in 2012, the local municipality decided to restore the mosque. Work continues to this day and the date of their completion is unknown, because it is constantly being postponed due to bureaucratic and financial problems. It is assumed that after completion of the restoration work the mosque will be used for its intended purpose.
How to get to Ala Cami Mosque?
There is no airport in Osmaniye, so if you are traveling from abroad, you should choose flights with a transfer in Istanbul or Ankara. From there, on domestic flights, you can reach the nearest airports to the Ala Cami Mosque, located in the cities of Adana and Gaziantep. Then you should take the bus to Osmaniye-Kadirli. And finally, from there, you need to take a dolmus to the village of Oksuzlu, in which the mosque is located.
Nearest hotels to Ala Cami Mosque
There are no hotels around the mosque where you can stay and rest. This can be done in the city of Osmaniye, where the nearest hotels to the Ala Cami Mosque are located. Among them:
- Karacalar Suit Otel
- Buyuk Osmaniye Otel
- Osmaniye Hanedan Otel
- Grand Ontur Otel
- Butik Otel
Nearest restaurants to Ala Cami Mosque
In the case of the nearest restaurants to the Ala Mosque, the situation is the same as with hotels – they are not. The maximum that you will find in the nearby village of Oksuzlu is a small shop with snacks. To get a full lunch or dinner, you will need to go to Osmaniye, it is not far from the mosque. The nearest restaurants are:
- Serhat Et ve Balik
- Biber Kebap
- Cigerci Enver Usta
- Sukru Baba Lokantasi
- Ramazan Usta Yol Cati Restaurant
- Guney Resturant
- Akdeniz Kebap
- Cadde Cafe & Restoran
