Author
Saad al-Din Qubaq, Badr al-Din Sotash.
Author Original
سعد الدين قوبق، بدر الدين سوتاش
Publication Date
633 / 1236
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Record ID
monument;ISL;tr;Mon01;5;ar
Library Location
Beyşehir, Konya, Türkiye
Date
633 / 1236
Notes
The palace consists of multiple buildings and is located 3 km north of the city of Golyaqa (Haweran), on the southwestern shore of Lake Beyşehir in the Konya region. The palace and its walls were built on top of a rocky plateau, where there was a rampart dating back to ancient times. Today, about 20 demolished structures of large and small sizes can be seen scattered across the site. The palace complex includes the Great Palace on the northern side of the site, the Small Palace to its south, and a boat hangar on the shore of the lake surrounded by small pavilions at the southern end. There are the walls of the inner courtyard, in addition to various destroyed buildings whose function has not been determined. The dimensions of the Great Palace are estimated at about 50 x 35 metres, and it is the largest building in the complex, and it consists of three main sections: the palace building, the courtyard, and a terrace extending to the lake. The Small Palace is another building with a similar design, and its walls most likely remained intact. The basic plan of both buildings includes large and small rooms on either side of an axis defined by an iwan that previously served as a throne room and a front courtyard. Excavations in the small palace, whose walls were thicker and more regular than those of the large palace, revealed the remains of a staircase, which confirms that this section was composed of two floors. Parts of the complex were built of rubble stones. The importance of the palace comes from the ceramic tiles that adorn the walls, in addition to the architectural style. Most of the ceramic tiles have square and star shapes, with a diameter of 20 x 24 cm, decorated with figurative patterns under a glaze with a metallic luster. Crucifix-shaped ceramic pieces were inserted between the star-shaped pieces to form decorative panels on the walls. Each panel is surrounded by a frame of rectangular turquoise ceramic pieces 10 cm wide. As for the drawings on ceramics, which are often repeated, they are the tree of life, the seductive woman, the sphinx, the phoenix, an eagles with one or two heads, lions, dragons, horses, donkeys, peacocks, various types of game, and human figures. The influence of Central Asian traditions can be felt in formations in which the Sultan and his courtiers (and rarely the palace harem) appear sitting in a cross-legged position. These figures often appear holding in one hand a plant such as pomegranate, poppy and opium, as symbols of immortality and paradise, and there are similar ancient examples found in Abbasid ceramics in the 3rd / 9th century. Besides the tangible influence of Abbasid, Seljuk, Fatimid and Sassanid art on the ceramics of this palace, there is a strong influence of the rich symbolic world of the shamanic culture of Central Asia. This area was protected as a natural site. And archaeologically. Excavation work began in 1965, and the remains of the palace are still the subject of ongoing study today under the supervision of Professor Dr. Roshan Arik.
Sample Text
Ertan Daş “Qobadabad Palace” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=monument;ISL;tr;Mon01;5;ar
