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Seljuk architecture facts for kids

Kids Encyclopedia Facts
Erzurum Cifte Minareli Sunrise
Çifte Minareli Medrese in Erzurum

Seljuk architecture is the special style of buildings created by the Seljuks. They were a powerful group who ruled much of the Middle East and a place called Anatolia. This happened between the 1100s and 1200s. After the 11th century, a new group, the Seljuks of Rum, grew from the main Great Seljuk Empire. They created their own unique building style. Their main city was Konya. Their designs were inspired by the Armenians, Byzantines, and Persians.

Great Seljuk Empire Buildings

You can find Seljuk buildings in a huge area. This area stretches from the Hindu Kush mountains to eastern Anatolia. It also goes from Central Asia to the Persian Gulf. The first Seljuk buildings were made in Turkmenistan and Iran. Sadly, many of these early buildings were destroyed. This happened during the Mongol invasions. Only a few of them still stand today. In 1063, Isfahan became the main city of the Great Seljuk Empire. This was under the ruler Alp Arslan.

Changes in Building Design

A very important change happened in the early 12th century. Mosques (places of worship) started to look different. They changed from a simple hall (called a hypostyle plan) to a four-iwan plan. An iwan is a vaulted hall or space, open on one side. The Shah Mosque is a good example of this style. Another new type of mosque was the kiosk mosque. This was a domed space with three open sides. It had a wall with a mihrab (a special niche showing the direction of prayer).

Memorial Tombs

Buildings from this time also included many memorial tombs. These tombs were usually octagonal (eight-sided) buildings. They had domed roofs. These special tombs were called Kümbet or Türbe. A great example is the mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar. It is located in Merv. This is a huge building, about 27 meters (89 feet) square. It has a massive double dome. The dome rests on special supports called squinches and muqarnas.

Related pages

Gallery

  • Shah mosque

    Shah mosque at night

  • Sultanhani - Gebetshaus 1

    Small Kiosk mosque

  • Cenacle mihrab

    mihra close-up

  • Zubaida tomb

    Tomb of Zubaidah bint Ja`far in Baghdad

  • Antiquities of Samarkand. Shir Dar Madrasah. Plan, Elevation, and Sections WDL3933

    four-iwan plan, section, and elevation

  • Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar

    Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar

Images for kids

  • Kaboud Dome Maragheh 03

    Combination of brickwork and tile decoration on the Gonbad-e Kabud Tomb in Maragha (1196–1197)

  • Ardestan-mosque-3

    Mihrab of carved stucco decoration in the Jameh Mosque of Ardestan (circa 1160)

  • Jama Masjid Isfahan Aarash (162)

    Muqarnas in the southern iwan of the Jameh Mosque of Isfahan (early 12th century)

  • Ince minare entrance

    Stone-carved decoration in the entrance portal of the Ince Minareli Medrese in Konya (c. 1265)

  • Red Tower - panoramio (1)

    Kızıl Kule (Red Tower) built between 1221–1226 by Kayqubad I in Alanya

  • Mamaluk Malabadi Bridge- 1146 AD

    Malabadi Bridge (1147) near Silvan

  • Divrigi Mosque west portal DSCF2519

    A double-headed eagle relief, 13th-century, Divriği Great Mosque and Hospital

  • Çifte Minareli Medrese (Erzurum) Entrance 3201

    Head of a dragon carved on the façade of the Çifte Minareli Medrese in Erzurum

  • Nigde Hudavent Hatun mausoleum 1281 (crop)

    Pair of mirrored sirens above a niche on the Tomb of Hudavend Hatun

  • Emir Saltuk Tomb - Emir Saltuk Türbesi 15

    Head of a bull, one of the animals of the zodiac, carved onto the Tomb of Emir Saltuq

  • Kharaghan

    Kharraqan Towers, mausoleums of Seljuk princes, built in 1068 and 1093 in Iran

  • Rabat-i Malik caravanserai 2 (cropped and retouched)

    Entrance portal of the Ribat-i Malik caravanserai on the road between Bukhara and Samarkand (c. 1068–1080)

  • Gran Mezquita de Isfahán, Isfahan, Irán, 2016-09-19, DD 43-45 HDR Alt

    Dome in the Friday Mosque of Isfahan, Iran, added in 1088–89 by Seljuk vizier Taj al-Mulk

  • Jameh Mosque of Isfahan 01

    Courtyard of the Friday Mosque in Isfahan, with its four-iwan layout dating from the early 12th century

  • Robat Sharaf Caravanserai (cropped)

    Ribat-i Sharaf caravanserai in Khorasan (northeastern Iran), built in 1114–1115

  • Borj-toghrul

    Toghrol Tower in Rayy, south of present-day Tehran (Iran), built in 1139 as the tomb of the Seljuk sultan Tughril

  • Sultan Sanjar mausoleum cropped

    Mausoleum of Sultan Ahmad Sanjar (c. 1152) in Merv (present-day Turkmenistan)

  • Divrigi,Kale-mosque

    Citadel Mosque in Divrigi (1180–1181)

  • Erzurum Citadel Mosque DSCF4111

    Interior of the Citadel Mosque in Erzurum (12th century)

  • Sivas Ulu Cami DSCF1991

    Great Mosque of Sivas (1197)

  • Diyarbakir P1050751 20080427135832

    Great Mosque of Diyarbakir (founded in 7th century, reconstructed in 12th century)

  • Great Mosque of Diyarbakıri 3636

    Details of the decorated eastern courtyard façade in the Great Mosque of Diyarbakir

  • Koçhisar Ulu Camii

    Façade of the Great Mosque (Ulu Cami) of Kızıltepe, begun by the Artuqids in 1204

  • Nigde alaaddin cami taci

    Alaeddin Mosque of Niğde (1223)

  • Divrigi,N-P1

    The portal of the Divriği Great Mosque in Divriği (1228–1229)

  • Divrigi Mosque interior DSCF2585

    Interior of the Divriği Great Mosque

  • Hunat Hatun Complex 2430

    Domed area (originally a small open court) in the centre of the Hunat Hatun Mosque in Kayseri (1237–1238)

  • Afyonkarahisar Ulu Cami

    Great Mosque (Ulu Cami) of Afyonkarahisar (1272), an example of a wooden hypostyle mosque

  • Beysehir Eshrefoglu Camii 4341

    Eşrefoğlu Mosque in Beyşehir (1297), another wooden column mosque

  • Esrefoglu3

    Tiled mihrab of the Eşrefoğlu Mosque

  • Manisa Ulu Cami 6145

    Interior of the Great Mosque (Ulu Cami) of Manisa, built by the Saruhanids around 1371

  • İsa Bey Camii

    Isa Bey Mosque in Selçuk (1374)

  • İlyas Bey

    İlyas Bey Mosque in Miletus (1404)

  • Gevher Nesibe Medrese (Cifte Medrese) DSCF1215

    Gevher Nesibe Medrese (or Çifte Medrese) in Kayseri (c. 1205)

  • Divrigi Hospital portal DSCF3214

    Portal of the Darüşşifa (hospital) in the Divriği mosque complex (1228–29)

  • Divrigi hospital interior DSCF2832

    Interior of the hospital in the Divriği mosque complex

  • Çifte Minareli Medrese (Erzurum) Courtyard 026

    Interior of the Çifte Minareli Medrese

  • Konya Karatay Ceramics Museum 2826

    Entrance portal of the Karatay Madrasa in Konya (c. 1251), with muqarnas and ablaq decoration

  • Konya Karatay Ceramics Museum 2445

    Tile decoration inside the Karatay Madrasa

  • Ince Minareli Medrese 01

    Ince Minareli Medrese in Konya (c. 1265)

  • Gök Medrese at Tokat

    Façade of the Gök Medrese at Tokat, Turkey built ca. 1270

  • GÖk Medrese before restoration 044

    Entrance and minarets of the Gök Medrese in Sivas (1271–2)

  • Buruciye medresesi-SİVAS - panoramio

    Buruciye Medrese in Sivas (1271–2)

  • Sivas Buruciye Medrese 115

    Courtyard of the Buruciye Medrese

  • Yakutiye Medresesi, Erzurum 02

    Yakutiye Medrese in Erzurum (1310)

  • Interior view of Yakutiye Madrasah

    Interior of the Yakutiye Medrese, with central muqarnas vault

  • Türbe Kilij Arslan II

    Tomb of Kiliç Arslan II in the Alaeddin Mosque of Konya (c. 1190)

  • Divrigi,SitteMelikTürbesi1

    Tomb of Sitte Melik in Divriği (before 1197)

  • Emir Saltuk Tomb - Emir Saltuk Tomb 09

    Tomb of Emir Saltuq in Erzurum (late 12th century)

  • Tercan,kümbet1

    Tomb of Melike Mama Hatun in Tercan (early 13th century)

  • Tercan,kümbet4

    Outer wall and entrance portal to the Mama Hatun tomb

  • Sivas Şifaiye Medrese 8259

    Decorated brick and tile façade of the tomb of Izz al-Din Kayka'us I in Sivas (1217–1218)

  • Döner Kümbet 2380

    Döner Kümbet in Kayseri (1276), the tomb of a Seljuk princess

  • Nigde Hudavent Hatun mausoleum 1269

    Hudavend Hatun Tomb in Niğde (1312)

  • Alayhan03

    Muqarnas portal (partly reconstructed) of the Alayhan, possibly circa 1190

  • Sultan Hanı Kervansaray; Nordseite

    Sultan Han caravanserai, built in 1229 on the road between Aksaray and Konya

  • Sultanhani Caravanserai, Turkey (23944555856)

    Courtyard of the Sultan Han caravanserai

  • Turkey-2202 (2216225833)

    Covered hall of the Sultan Han

  • Sultanhani-jries

    Elevated prayer room in the centre of the Sultan Han near Kayseri (1236–1237)

  • Ağzıkara Han, Innenhof; Aksaray

    Courtyard of the Ağzıkara Han, completed in 1240

  • Kırkgözhan03

    Courtyard of the Kırkgöz Han (between 1237 and 1246)

  • Susuz Han 02

    Susuz Han (c. 1246)

  • Karatay Han (Bünyanı), Blick vom Dach zum Innenhof

    Courtyard and entrance to the covered hall of Karatay Han (c. 1240)

  • Konya Alaeddin Mosque minbar DSCF7828

    Minbar of the Alaeddin Mosque, Konya (1155–6)

  • Konya Alaeddin Mosque minbar DSCF7806

    Details of the kündekâri work on the Alaeddin Mosque's minbar

  • Alaeddin Mosque (Konya) 2340

    Front part of the Alaeddin Mosque's minbar

  • Siirt Ulu Camii Minberi

    Minbar of the Ulu Cami of Siirt (13th century), now housed in the Ethnography Museum of Ankara

  • Minbar of the Divrigi Mosque DSCF2721

    Minbar of the Great Mosque of Divriği (1228–9)

  • Minbar of the Divrigi Mosque DSCF2701

    Detail of the Divriği minbar: the lines between the wooden boards mounted side-by-side are visible, while the surface itself is carved with motifs imitating kündekâri work

  • Sivrihisar Ulu Camii 1120

    Detail from the front of the minbar of the Great Mosque of Sivirhisar (1275)

  • Esrefoglu6

    Front part of the minbar of the Eşrefoğlu Mosque, Beyşehir (1297–9)

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Arquitectura selyúcida para niños

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