Alayhan
Coordinates: 38 ° 31 ′ 7 ″ N , 34 ° 21 ′ 16 ″ E
Alayhan (also: Alay Han) is the current name of a Seljuk caravanserai near Aksaray in the Turkish province of the same name . It is located near the village named after Alayhanı in the central district of the province, about 30 kilometers east of the provincial capital on the D-300 road to Nevşehir .
history
The structure was built as a Ribat on the way from Kayseri to Aksaray. His original name was Sultanhan , it is believed that the current name should prevent confusion with other Hans of that name. Possibly the name goes back to a village nearby. The Alayhan is also known as the Pervane Han . Since the name II. Kılıçarslan Kervansarayı is common for the building, the time before 1190 is assumed to be the date of construction. The Rum-Seljuk Sultan Kılıç Arslan II ruled from 1156 to 1190. This construction period is confirmed by stylistic analyzes of the ornamentation. The Han is therefore the oldest Han of the Rum Seljuks in Anatolia and one of the oldest at all. A block of inscriptions in the entrance names Tutbeg bin Bahram al-Khilati , "from Ahlat " , as the architect . He is also known as the builder of the Melik Türbesi custom in Divriği . He is also referred to here as al-najjar , a woodworker, and was probably a traveling builder.
construction
The building has dimensions of around 30 × 40 meters, the entrance is facing the street in the south. Only remnants of the wall are left of the front courtyard, about 40 × 40 meters in size, with various rooms on the east side. The covered part was also in a very ruinous condition and was extensively restored between 2009 and 2012. Nevertheless, it already has the familiar features of the Seljuk Han architecture. These include the portal decorated with muqarnas , the central nave with a central dome and oculus, and seven transepts on each side. The portal is framed by a band with geometric patterns made up of nested octagons and oblique swastics . Above, under the six rows of muqarnas, a relief of a lion with two bodies and a common head can be seen.
Portal with muqarnas and lion relief
Building inscription
Lion relief
Ruins of buildings in the forecourt area
See also
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Andrew Peacock, Sara Nur Yildiz: The Seljuks of Anatolia Court and Society in the Medieval Middle East . IBTauris, 2013, ISBN 978-1-84885-887-9 , pp. 41 ( limited preview in Google Book search).