User:Paramandyr/Seljuk Architecture

Seljuk architecture is the name given to the architecture of the Seljuks. The architecture can be found in the areas where the Seljuks ruled, most of the Middle East and Anatolia between (11th - 13th Centuries). After the 11th century the Seljuks of Rum emerged out of the Great Seljuk Empire, developing their own unique architecture.

Great Seljuq Empire architecture

The architecture can be found in a vast area stretching from the Hindu Kush to eastern Anatolia and from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf. The homeland of the Seljuk architecture was Turkmenistan and Iran, where the first permanent Seljuk buildings were built. Unfortunately the Mongol invasions and earthquakes destroyed most of these buildings and only a few remain. In 1063 Isfahan was established as capital of the Great Seljuk Empire under Alp Arslan.

The most significant alteration carried out in the early twelfth century was the conversion of the mosque plan into a four-iwan plan mosque. Another mosque-type introduced at this time was the kiosk mosque, consisting of a domed space with three open sides and wall containing a mihrab on the qibla side.The architecture of this period was also characterized by memorial tombs which were usually octagonal structures with domed roofs, called Kümbet or Türbe. An impressive example of tomb architecture is the mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar at Merv, a massive building measuring 27 m square with a huge double dome resting on squinches and muqarnas pendentives.

In Syria and Iraq the surviving monuments are represented by madrassas and tombs. The madrassas such as the Mustansiriya in Baghdad or the Muristan in Damascus were built to a four-iwan plan, while the tombs were characterized by conical muqarnas domes.

Some examples of Seljuk Empire architecture include:

• Tomb of Ahmed Sanjar
• Kharraqan towers

Anatolian Seljuk architecture

Çifte Minareli Medrese in Erzurum

The greatest number of surviving Seljuk monuments are in Anatolia. The Seljuks of Rum built monumental stone buildings of elegantly simple design and harmonious proportion, for the most part severely plain, but with bursts of elaborate decoration around doorways. Most Anatolian Seljuk works are of dressed stone, with brick reserved for minarets.

The use of stone in Anatolia is the biggest difference with the Seljuk buildings in Iran,who are made of bricks. The buildings make frequent use of mukarnas (stalactite vaulting).

Ince Minaret Medrese in Konya

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In the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum the courts are often covered to protect against the colder and snowier winters of the Anatolian plateau. Thus some madrasas (theological seminaries) such as the Çifte Minareli Medrese in Erzurum have an open court, and others, such as the Karatay Medrese in Konya, have covered courts.

Konya, the capital of the Seljuks and the other great Seljuk cities--Alanya, Erzurum, Kayseri, Sivas--have important Seljuk buildings, but Seljuk works are abundant in almost any Anatolian city or town, especially in Central and Eastern Anatolia. Seljuk power extended (briefly) as far as the Aegean coast, so there are Seljuk türbes (tombs) even in—appropriately—the town of Selçuk, next to Ephesus, south of Izmir. The great caravanserais, or hans, are among the finest and most characteristic of Seljuk buildings. Built during the 13th century to encourage trade throughout the empire, several dozen survive in good condition.

After the Mongol invasions of the mid-13th century, the wealth and power of the Seljuk empire declined. The few late 13th century-early 14th century buildings that survive include the bimarhane (madhouse) in Amasya, and the "Süngür Bey Mosque" in Nigde.

Examples of Anatolian Seljuk architecture

Examples of Seljuk architecture

Style	Modern Turkish nomenclature	Example
Mosque	Cami	Alaeddin Mosque
Madrasa	Medrese	Çifte Minareli Medrese
Kümbet	Kümbet	Döner Kümbet
Caravanserai	Kervansaray	Sultan Han
Hospital	Darüşşifa	Divriği Great Mosque
Bridge	Köprü	Akköprü
Palace	Saray	Kubadabad Palace
Castle	Kale	Alanya Castle
Shipyard	Tersane	Kızıl Kule

See also

• Havadan Külliye
• Seljuq dynasty
• Great Seljuq Empire
• Sultanate of Rûm
• List of Seljuk hans and kervansarays in Turkey

Gallery

• 
  The Kharāghān twin towers, in Iran, is the burial of Seljuq princes
• 
  Tughrul Tower, a 12th century monument in Rey,Iran commemorating the Seljuq monarch Toğrül
• 
  Hanabad caravanserai in Çardak, Turkey
• 
  Kızıl Kule (Red Tower) built between 1221–1226 by Kayqubad I in Alanya,Turkey
• 
  Ince Minaret, a 13th century medrese (school) located in Konya,Turkey
• 
  Monumental entrance of the Sultanhanı, a caravanserai built in 1229 in Aksaray,Turkey during the reign of Kayqubad I
• 
  The portal of the Darüşşifa,Divriği Great Mosque in Divriği, Turkey
• 
  Façade of the Gök Medrese at Tokat,Turkey built ca.1270.
• 
  Yakutiye Medrese built in 1310 Erzurum.Turkey
• 
  The highly ornamented stone façade of the entrance, Ince Minaret Medrese,Konya.
• 
  Stone carving detail of the Yakutiye Medrese.
• 
  Kümbet of Hudavend Hatun.
• 
  Süleymaniye Mosque. Alanya.

References

http://www.turkeytravelplanner.com/architecture/SeljukArchitecture.html

http://archnet.org/library/dictionary/entry.jsp?entry_id=DIA0838&mode=full

Religion

Rum Seljuks continued their observance of Sunni Islam, though they had little use for Islamic judges but supported Islamic courts. Their patronage of the mystical Islamic orders attracted numerous holy men and leaders. Among these Rumi, whom the Mevlevi dervishes consider their founder, found patronage at the Rum Seljuk court. Under the Mevlevi a form of Persian was spoken, though restricted to certain topics, until the 20th century.

Sources

• McCarthy, Justin (2013). The Ottoman Turks: An Introductory History to 1923. Routledge.
• Holbrook, Victoria (1999). "Diverse Taste in the Spiritual Life: Textual Play in the Diffusion of Rumi's Order". In Lewisohn, Leonard (ed.). The Heritage of Sufism. Vol. II: The Legacy of Medieval Persian Sufism (1150-1500).100