| |
An Analysis
of the Anatolian Seljuk Caravanserais
Eda Velibasoglu1, Dr. Gulen Cagdas2
1Ph.D. Student, Institute Of Applied Science, Istanbul
Technical University
2 Professor of Architecture, Faculty of Architecture,
Istanbul Technical University, gulen@karye.mim.itu.edu.tr
An Analysis of the Anatolian Seljuk
Caravanserais
The magnificent style of the Anatolian Seljuk Art was created in
Anatolia in the 13th Century. The monumental architecture built of
cut stone; well-balanced use of tiled mosaic inside the domes;
geometric designs decorating the wooden minbars, wings of the doors
and windows, give a distinct characteristic to the architecture of
this period as well as a distinguished place within the history of
architecture. Besides the mosques, medresses, and the funerary
monuments, namely the kumbeds and the tombs, the most important
structures of the Anatolian Seljuk period were the caravanserais,
which are also known as the most interesting institutions of the
Middle Ages. The composition of the caravanserais can be regarded as
an identifiable architectural language that belongs to the
Turkish-Anatolian architecture in general. These caravanserais
exhibit all the architectural characteristics of different spatial
organizations and stone decorations on the portals of this period.
They were built on the merchant routes to guarantee a safe journey
and a place to spend the night for the caravans and the travelers.
The general name given to these buildings in Anatolia is Han (Inn).
The Seljuk caravanserais in Anatolia are castle-like structures
built of cut stone and they really have the appearance of a palace (Altun,
1990, 197-199) .
In this paper, sixty Anatolian Seljuk caravanserais will be analyzed
in terms of their syntactical and formal characteristics, and
geometrical patterns on their portals. The plan schemes can be
grouped as four categories:
- Caravanserais with an open
courtyard;
- Covered caravanserais;
- Covered caravanserais with
an open courtyard;
- Caravanserais with a
concentric plan.
Caravanserais with an open courtyard (OC):
This type of caravanserais were mostly used in summer. They
generally had an open arcaded courtyard. These arcades consists of
two rows of riwaqs, and iwans. Some of them had a covered section
and some special rooms around the courtyard. They can be grouped
into three sub-types according to these differences:
- Caravanserais which had no
covered section (OC1): These types of caravanserais had two
rows of riwaqs and iwans around the courtyard.
- Caravanserais which had a
covered section (OC2): The covered section was in the form
of a covered aisle. They had two rows of riwaqs and also
some chambers in front of the covered section and at the two
sides of the portal.
- Caravanserais which had a
covered section consisting of two aisles (OC3): They were
similar to the type of OC2, but the chambers were at the two
adjacent side of the courtyard in this type.
Covered
caravanserais (C):
These caravanserais were mostly used in winter. They were covered
with a vaulting system supported by piers. Their plans had different
number of aisle in both directions. Some of them had a lantern in
the middle of the vaulting system. This type of caravanserais can be
grouped in four sub-types:
- Caravanserais which had a
single aisle (C1);
- Caravanserais which had
vaults in only one direction (C2): They generally had three
or five aisles lying perpendicular to the portal wall.
- Caravanserais in which the
middle aisle was perpendicular to the portal wall and the
other vaults were parallel to the portal wall (C3);
- Caravanserais in which the
vaults were both perpendicular and parallel to the portal
wall (C4).
Covered
caravanserais with an open courtyard (COC):
The third type which was the largest one both had an open courtyard
and a covered part and showed the classical scheme of Anatolian
Seljuk Caravanserais. The court was built together with the covered
section called the hall (vestibule). The most remarkable features of
this type are the arcaded courtyard with a vaulting system supported
by piers, and the portals of the vestibule. The courtyards had one
or two rows of riwaqs or both of them in different side of the
courtyard and had varying number of iwans. The covered part of this
type had varying number and directions of vaults lying parallel or
perpendicular to the portal wall like in the covered caravanserais.
These types sometimes have a central lantern with a stalactite dome
over the covered section and a kiosk masjid in the courtyard rising
on four piers. In some others, the masjid was above the entrance
porch which was arranged in the form of a protruding portal. But the
general scheme was always the same. This type of caravanserais can
be grouped in four sub-types:
- Caravanserais in which the
widths of the covered and open courtyard was equal (COC1);
- Caravanserais in which the
open courtyard was wider than the covered part in one side
(COC2);
- Caravanserais in
which the open courtyard was wider than the covered part in
both sides (COC3);
- Caravanserais in which the
width of the open courtyard was too larger than the width of
the covered part (COC4): In this type, the main portal
generally was at one side of the courtyard.
Caravanserais with a concentric plan (CP):
This type was designed with a different architectural concept.
Instead of the separately planned the covered part and the
courtyard, the covered quarters and the courtyard were interposed on
a concentric plan. In other words, covered part of the caravanserai
surround the divided chambers which were around the courtyard. The
whole building was covered by a vaulting system (Tukel, 1976). The
caravanserais with a concentric plan had the most advanced plan
types. This type can be grouped in two sub-types according to the
location of the courtyard:
- Caravanserais which their
courtyard were at one side of the building (CP1);
- Caravanserais which their
courtyard were in the center of the building (CP2).
The
Geometrical Patterns on the Portals
The Anatolian Seljuk portals which were rectangular blocks of
masonry averaging about 8 meters in heights, 4 meters in breadth,
and 2 meters in depth show a magnificent stonework (Ogel, 1987, p.
157). They were in the form of a niche or an iwan and mostly filled
with stalactites. A great variety of ornaments with figures decorate
these structures together with a very rich variety of geometric and
floral motifs (Altun, p. 200).
As Schmitt stated, the Islamic ornaments follow strict grammatical
rules to form an architectural language (Schmitt, 1988, p. 95). The
generation process of these figures typically starts with a
symmetric arrangement of simple basic shapes, such as squares,
diamonds, circles, etc., which overlap each other to form repetitive
patterns (Yessios, 1987, p. 176). Then relacing and / or interlacing
operations may be applied. In many examples, it can be seen that the
visual and mathematical forms in nature in relation to those in
Islamic decoration and the use of that geometry in their buildings (Ozsariyildiz,
p. 25). The configurations of a decagonal star and interlaced
squares are frequently used both within a small scale patterns and
as architectural plans for minarets or tomb towers (Albarn et. al.,
p. 34). The Islamic patterns can be generated by using binary
operations such as reflection, repetition, rotation, and scaling.
References
Albarn, K., Smith, J.M., Steele, S. And D. Walker, (1974), The
Language of Pattern, Thames and Hudson, London, UK.
Altun, A., (1990), An Outline of Turkish Architecture in the Middle
Ages, Archeology and Art Publications, Istanbul, Turkey.
Binan, C.S., (1990), A Research on the Conservation Criteria of the
Anatolian Caravanserais in the 13th Century, Istanbul Technical
University, Institute Of Applied Science. (in Turkish)
Cagdas, G., Velibasoglu, E., (1995a), "A Hypermedia-Based System for
Analyzing an Architectural Language", 8th International Conference
on System Research, Informatics and Cybernetics, Advanced in
Cooperative Computer-Assisted Environmental Design Systems
Proceedings, Baden-Baden, August 1995, pp. 21-32.
Cagdas, G., Velibasoglu, E., (1995b), "A Shape Grammar Analysis of
an Architectural Language and Presentation it in Computer
Environment", CAD+, July 1995, pp. 21-25. (in Turkish)
Ogel, S., (1987), Anatolian Seljuk Stone Ornamentation, Turk Tarih
Kurumu Print House, Ankara, Turkey. (in Turkish)
Ozsariyildiz, S., (1991), Conceptual Design by means of
Islamic-Geometric-Patterns within a CAAD-Environment, Ph.D. Thesis,
TU Delft, The Netherlands.
Schmitt, G., (1988), Microcomputer Aided Design for Architects and
Designers, John Wiley & Sons, New York, USA.
Tukel, A.Y., (1976), "Concentrically Planned Seljuk Hans in
Anatolia", M.E.T.U., Journal of the Faculty of Architecture, 2/2,
pp. 18-204.
Velibasoglu, E., (1995), A Shape Grammar Analysis of an
Architectural Language and Presentation in Computer Environment, MS
Thesis, Institute of Applied Sciences, Istanbul Technical University
(in Turkish).
Yessios, C., (1987), "A Fractal Studio, ACADIA" 87 Proceedings, ed:
B.J. Novitski, pp. 169-181.
|
|
