MENTEŞE BEY TOMB (AHMET GAZİ TOMB)

Mentese Bey, who was killed trying to take over Megri (Fethiye) from the Byzantian Empire in 1282, was buried in Fethiye. The title of Mentese Bey's father Was Emir-ul Savahil, meaning the Commander of the Coastline. After Mentese Bey, one of his sons, Mesud Bey, became the head of the tribe. It is recorded that his brother Kyrman Bey was the governor of Finike. TheByzantian commander, Filontropos Aleksius, attempted to recapture Aydın and Mugla from the Mentese Beylic (Turks) (1296). Prior to his invasion of the city and fortress of Aydın, the wife of Mentese Bey was taken to Fethiye, which was a safe region in the hands of the Mentese Beylic. After occupying Aydın, Aleksius rebelled and organized some military uprisings but was captured and killed by the Byzantians. After his death the Turks completely dominated Mugia and its environs. Ahmet Ghazi, who was the governor of Milas and Becin, headed many naval campaigns while he was in Megri (Fethiye), Marmaris, Milas and Becin. He fought with the Rhodian knights and the Kingdom of Cyprus. He died in 1 391 and was buried at Becin, Milas.

The tomb belonging to Mentese Bey, located next to the Gul mosque at Bademlibahce, Fethiye, is known by the people as the tomb of Ahmet Gazi. Similarly, the tomb underneath the nettle free at Gunlukbası is purpoted to belong to Ahmet Ghazi. "How come Ahmet Ghazi had two tombs" is easy to answer.

"The body of Ahmed Ghazi is in this tomb and his head is in the tomb at Gunlukbası"."During the battle with the Byzantians, Ahmet Ghazi died after a heroic feat and  was buried where he was killed, but his head rolled as far as Gunlukbasy when it stopped."

The burial place of Mentese Bey as well as that of his wife at Gunlukbası (after 1296) were constructed as tombs by Ahmet Ghazi. Furthermore, Ahmet Gazi arranged for establishment .and recordings of the foundations of the mosques at Uzumlu and Kaya in Fethiye. He had a religious school built in Fethiye and created a foundation for this school.

Because he had tombs built for his uncle and his wife, both these tombs are known as Ahmet Ghazi tombs. The tomb of Mentese Bey next to the Gul mosque at Bademlibahce, Fethiye, is domed and built of unhewn stones. It is white-washed with lime halfway. At the interior, the head of the marble grave is covered with a Turkish flag, guarded by chains drawn around six miniature columns to prevent handling. The rest of the interior is paved with rugs and carpets, with wooden benches to facilitate praying by the visitors who wish to do so.