Name of the Structure | Atabey Armağan Madrasa |
Category | Madrasa |
Period | Seljuk |
Current Condition | Front gate survives in a well-preserved condition. |
Construction Date | 1239/1240 |
Built by | Atabey Armağan |
Location / Address | Selçuk, 07100 Muratpaşa/Antalya |
The front gate is the only surviving part of the building, which is also known as Ghiyath al-Din Kaykhusraw and Alaaddin. The sides of the front gate are framed with thin, profiled moldings. Inside the profiled moldings is a wide border featuring an engraved geometric composition consisting of zigzag and half stars on either side. The gate rests on consoles on both sides and has a depressed arch. The six-line inscription in Arabic in the niche on the arch confirms that the building is a madrasa and provides the name of its benefactor and its construction date. The inscription reads:
“To Allah alone belongs the kingdom of the heavens and the earth. The construction of this blessed madrasa was commissioned during the rule of Kaykhusraw son of Kayqubad, the Almighty Sultan, the shadow of Allah on earth, the helper of the World and Islam, the father of conquest – the Commander of the faithful, may Allah bless his reign – by Atabey Armağan, a weak servant who needs his God’s mercy in the year 637 [c. AD 1240].”
The rough-cut stone walls confining the front gate on either side were probably built at a later date to prevent its collapse. A recent research excavation in the madrasa indicates that the two-story building had an open courtyard surrounded by porticoes on both sides and two iwans. Fragments of an inscription were also unearthed during the excavations.
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