Konya citadel
| Konya citadel | |
|---|---|
Konya citadel | |
The walls of Konya, built and decorated by Kayqubad I, incorporated many Greco-Roman Classical elements. Voyage de l'Asie Mineure, Léon de Laborde, 1838.[1] | |
| Former names | Konya citadel |
| General information | |
| Type | Castle |
| Architectural style | Seljuk |
| Location | Konya, Turkey |
| Coordinates | 37°52′21″N 32°29′31″E / 37.87250°N 32.49194°E |
| Completed | 1220s |
The Konya citadel refers to the defensive walls surrounding the center of the city of Konya in Turkey, encircling the area now called "Alaaddin Hill".[2] The walls were built in the early 1220s by Kayqubad I (r.1220–1237) of the Sultanate of Rum.[3]
Structure
The Konya citadel protected the administrative, residential, and ceremonial center of the city, including the older Alaeddin Mosque and the Seljuk palace of Konya which was fused with part of the wall of the citadel.[2]
A weaker citadel called the Zindankale functionned as outer protective belt for the city itself.[2]
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The main circle corresponds to the former tracing of the walls of the Konya citadel
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Plan of Konya, and detail of the Konya citadel at the center, Carsten Niebuhr 1766
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Konya citadel in 1838 (from the east)
Decoration
The citadel incorporated many western decorative elements, such as a statue of Hercules, a frieze from a Roman sarcophagus, courtly scenes with seated figures in toga, winged deities around the figure of the sun, mixed with inscriptions in Arabic.[5] It would seem that such symbolism mixing Western and Eastern elements was mostly derived from the influence of the Artuqids, who were adept at combining Classical and Perso-Islamic approaches.[6]
The walls no longer exist.[7] Almost nothing remains to this day, apart from a few sculpture pieces found in museums, such as the Ince Minare Museum in Konya.
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Seljuk winged angel (right), Ince Minare Museum
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The double-headed eagle, symbol of Kayqubad I
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Seljuk Rum soldiers
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Some decorative elements, including Greco-Roman examples
See also
References
- ^ Laborde, Alexandre, Louis Joseph de (1838). Voyage de l'Asie mineure. Paris. p. Plate 116b.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c Redford, Scott (2013). Mamālik and Mamālīk: Anatolian Seljuk Citadels and their Decorative and Inscriptional Programs. Peeters. p. 339.
Konya, where the citadel atop the old city mound, today's Alaeddin Tepesi, must have served more as an administrative, residential, and ceremonial center, as it did not protect the city from outside attack because it lay not at the edge, but in its center. It is likely for this reason that Sultan 'Ala' al-Din Kayqubadh, while rebuilding the citadel and city walls, added the so-called Zindankale, a smaller citadel enclosure astride the walls.
- ^ Redford, Scott (2013). Mamālik and Mamālīk: Anatolian Seljuk Citadels and their Decorative and Inscriptional Programs. Peeters. p. 307.
The Alaeddin Camii, which was built at the same time as the city and citadel walls of Konya in 1220
- ^ Texier, Charles (1849). Description de l'Asie Mineure (Vol.2). Paris. p. Plate 97.
- ^ Yalman, Suzan (1 January 2012). "'ALA AL-DIN KAYQUBAD ILLUMINATED: A RUM SELJUQ SULTAN AS COSMIC RULER". Muqarnas Online. 29 (1): 151–186. doi:10.1163/22118993-90000186.
In some cases—such as the sultan's well-known city walls in Konya—there appears to be, at first sight, an antiquarian penchant for the "classical" or "Roman" past (fig. 1). (...) Nevertheless, the portrait's classicizing aspect is important in that it resonates with the use of spoliated classical sculpture in the walls of Konya (fig. 1). (...) Kayqubad's walls in Konya. (...) above the statue of Hercules was a reused Roman sarcophagus frieze carved in high relief; the latter featured a courtly scene with a seated figure wearing a toga and holding an orb ("a ball, the symbol of the world" according to Kinneir). Above this image was an Arabic inscription and then winged "genies" making offerings to the "sun" (as described by Olivier).
- ^ Yalman, Suzan (1 January 2012). "'ALA AL-DIN KAYQUBAD ILLUMINATED: A RUM SELJUQ SULTAN AS COSMIC RULER". Muqarnas Online. 29 (1): 151–186. doi:10.1163/22118993-90000186.
As I will argue below, in addition to obvious "Western" links, Kayqubad was also inspired by sources further "East," such as the Artuqids of Hisn Kaifa and Amid (1102-1232), which combining Classical and Perso-Islamic impulses, seemed better suited as models. In fact, upon closer examination, these pagan/secular Roman imperial ("Western") signs seemed to be infused with mystical/Sufi ("Eastern") readings that imbued them with new meaning. Most significant was the emergence of an unexpected undercurrent of light symbolism.
- ^ Redford, Scott (2013). Mamālik and Mamālīk: Anatolian Seljuk Citadels and their Decorative and Inscriptional Programs. Peeters. p. 307.