摘要: Description　　Eshab-i Kehf –the Seven Sleepers- (the companions of cave) is a narrative illustrating the interaction of different cultures in a process dating from Paganism to Christianity and then to

Description

　　Eshab-i Kehf –the Seven Sleepers- (the companions of cave) is a narrative illustrating the interaction of different cultures in a process dating from Paganism to Christianity and then to Islam. The incident of a very long sleep and re-awakening in a cave, which constitutes the essence of the parable, appears in a variety of religions and legends. They are described as 7 people in Christian depictions. Unlike the Christian depiction, a shepherd and a shepherd dog called Kitmis (or Al-Rakım) who attended the youth of fled are stated in Islamic depiction.

　　According to a very popular legend in Christian and the Islamic spheres during the Middle Age; in a city called Efsus or Yarpuz, a tyrant Roman Emperor, Dakyanus (Dakyus) gets people to worship himself and idols. (A.D. 250). At a time when the belief to the mythological God lost its power, these seven Christian youths called Yemliha, Mekselina, Mislina, Mernus, Sazenus, Tebernus and the Kefestetayus break away from being persecuted as they go against the tyrant's command by believing in one God and worshipping secretly. After Dakyanus learns, these youths pull away and come across with a faithful shepherd as themselves. The seven sleepers shelter in a cave that the shepherd knows and they fall asleep in there. The emperor's viziers find the cave. They can’t come in because they are scared, then they cover the entrance of the cave to keep the youths in. 

　　Rumor has it that the Seven Sleepers stay asleep for 309 years. After they wake up during the time of Eastern Roman Emperor Theodosius II (AD 408-450), they send Yemliha to the city to buy bread. The people in the city suspects Yemliha who wants to shop with money from the time of Dakyanus and take him to the court. Yemliha tells his story in the court and takes the crowd to the cave. However, as his friends may be scared, he says he will go inside alone and disappears off the face of the earth. The Emperor then is impressed by the deep sense of experience these seven people live and orders to make sacred burial sites in the memory of them.

　　The Cave and Kulliye of the Seven Sleepers in Afsin is located on Bencilus Hill approximately 7 km away from the center, at north-west of Afsin. The entrance of the cave gives on to northwest. Inside area is about 100 m2. The ceiling is like a flat concrete structure ever seen in any caves. It has a unique feature. The ceiling is 140 cm in height in some places and 160-180 cm. in some others. The cave seems as two parts. There is some bedrock in places on the left side of the entrance; the gap among this bedrock is like a tunnel-shaped passageway. The right side of the cave is divided into two parts. The first part consisting of a ground floor and a flat roof is approximately 30 m2 and this place is recognized as where Eshab-ı Kehf fall asleep. The wall of the other part is 90-100 cm in places and gives the impression of an unfinished floor and has a dirt surface. Unlike the other parts, it has sinuous ceiling. It is a kind of stalactite and stalagmite. This part harbors water droplets dripping from the ceiling. This water accumulates in the well situated on right of the cave entrance and 120 cm in depth, 3.70 in diameter, constitutes a draw well known as Zam-Zam well.

　　The formation of the Kulliye began with the establishment of the Jesus Masjid in front of the Cave by order of Theodosius II, Byzantine Emperor, in AD 446. In the area of the cave a barracks and guesthouse dating back Byzantine era exist. Later, after the Turks stepped into Anatolia, Nusretuddin Hasan Bey, Maras Monarch of Anatolian Seljuk State, ordered to built the main structure of the Kulliye consisting of a ribat, a mosque and a han (inn). Then Alauddevl Bey, the ruler of the Dulkadir Beyliği (principality), had the Madrasah built in 1480-1492 and the Buk’a’ was built by the command of his father Suleyman Bey. Shams Hatun, Alauddevle's wife, got Kubbetu’s Serif (Women  Masjid) to built in 1500. Finally, the establishment of the Kulliye was completed with the construction of Minnet Celebi Masjid (Kaba Naib Masjid) today knows as Pasa Cardagi (Pahsa Pergola) completed during the time of Suleiman the Magnificent in 1531.

　　In ancient sources, it is stated that the Ribat was built on the area where the barracks and the guesthouse was built during the Byzantine period, and the mosque was built on the remains of Jesus Masjid by Nusretuddin Hasan Bey at the behest of the Seljuk Sultan Izzeddin Keykavus, which was in ruins on the date when the Turks came to Anatolia. The remains of these structures of Byzantine era, made of mainly reused marble, were preserved by Anatolian Seljuks and used for decorative purposes, particularly on the Mosque, on the inner and outer parts which forms the structure of the Kulliye. The church’s column headers located in the mosques are made and Corinthian and ion order. In addition, it has a column heading, three consoles and decorations in Composite order. There exists another mihrabiye in the southern wall of Jesus Masjid located at Westside of Harim and next to the door opening into the cave. This mihrabiye is decorated with acanthus motifs and made up of reused marble. Having placed a reused marble mihrabiye into the lower section of the niche of Eshab-i Kehf Mosque’s mihrab by Seljuk architects, a form of two nested niche came into existence. This historical stone, one of the mihrabiyes of the church having been in use from 5th century to the end of 10th century, has an oyster grooved arch molding and the pillars of the mihrabiye is grooved, as well. In addition, the pillar’s headings and arch molding is decorated with acanthus motifs. The mihrabiye reaching the present day is known as “baptism stone” among the people.