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©TIE
2004-2008
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The Seljuk vezir Sahip-i
Ata Fahrettin Ali was one
of the Seljuk
Turkish Empire's great
builders.
Besides Konya's
sublime Ince
Minare Medresesi,
he endowed this külliye (mosque
complex) south of Konya's Alaettin
Tepesi, and had it built between
1259 and 1283, just when the Mongol
invasions and overlordship was bringing
an end to the golden age of the Seljuk
architecture.
The formal entrance to the complex
is a fine Seljuk taç kapi,
or monumental gateway, an asymmetrical
but harmonious structure with its own
grand and unusual minaret.
The gate was beatifully restored
in 2006-07.
The center of the complex
was of course its mosque,
only part of which has survived the
centuries. What has survived is much
smaller and quite simple, except
for the mihrab (prayer
niche) with its mosaic tiles in geometric
designs.
Behind the mosque, the fine medrese (theological
school), has
been beautifully restored (2006-07)
as a Museum of Seljuk Arts(Sahip
Ata Vakiflar Eserleri Müzesi). Its
classic Seljuk cruciform configuration
has four eyvans
(three-walled rooms) for classes, a
central pool for the sound of water,
and exquisite dark-and-sky-blue Seljuk
tilework.
Off to one side of the main medrese
structure is a türbe (tomb) chamber
containing cenotaphs of Sahip-i
Ata himself,
his daughter, sons and grandsons. (The
actual tombs are beneath, underground.)
Long, graceful Kur'anic
inscriptions high
on the walls and arches are fine reminders
of the artistic excellence of Seljuk
tilemakers and architects.
The architect of both the Sahip-i
Ata Külliyesi and
the Ince
Minare Medresesi was Kelûk
ibn Abdallah, who also designed
the Çifte Minare Medrese in
Sivas.
The complex also had a tekke,
or dervish hall, and a hamam,
currently under restoration.
Just west of the Sahip-i Ata
Külliyesi is Konya's worthwhile Archeological
Museum, with artifacts from
the Neolithic excavations at Çatal
Höyük.
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Above, the
grand entrance to the Sahip-i
Ata Külliyesi,
Konya,
Turkey.
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