The mausoleum of Qilich Arslan II in Konya

Abstract

On the ‘Ala al-Din Hill in the city of Konya prominently stands a large imposing tomb tower with a conical dome. It is the mausoleum of Qilich Arslan II, the fifth Seljuk sultan of Rum (r. 1156-92), whose reign witnessed territorial expansion and political consolidation of the Seljuk state of Anatolia (1081-1308). Built in the late twelfth century, it is the only funerary structure with a decagonal plan in medieval Anatolia, which served as a burial place for the sultans and was hence closely associated with the ruling house. The mausoleum of Qilich Arslan II has received much attention in scholarship. However, until the present, the scholarly accounts on the monument have been brief and descriptive, with a primary focus on the formal analysis of the building. The context within which the mausoleum was built has never been explored. Considering the importance of the monument for the history of the Seljuks of Anatolia as well as for the history of Islamic funerary architecture in medieval Anatolia, this thesis offers a study of Qilich Arslan II’s mausoleum. In contrast to the former scholarship, it examines the historical and architectural context in which the building was constructed. By doing so, it sets the mausoleum within a broader perspective in order to achieve a better understanding of it.