The Islamic Architecture of Anatolia in Transition Period: Continuity and Development in the Architecture of Turkmen Beyliks

With the beginning of the era known as Turkmen Beyliks in Anatolia, the Islamic architecture of the region was introduced to some changes, which can be referred to as the transition period. Although the architectural style of the Sultanate of Rum was still commonly present in this era’s monuments, the architecture of some Turkmen Beylik buildings gradually underwent considerable change. These changes were not very noticeable in the Turkmen Beylik architectures of central Anatolia like Qarihmānīyān, but major architectural innovations occurred in western Beyliks including Āydīn and Mantshā.  The present study aims at analyzing the Islamic architecture of this period of Muslim Anatolia in order to illustrate its characteristics and trace its developments.Results show that although the architectural style of mosques and schools in cities like Konya, Magnesia (Mānīsā), Armināk an Tire followed the style dominant during Seljuk era, and although the general characteristics of the previous era remained still, architects of Turkmen Beyliks introduced some changes, including an increase in the surface area beneath the domes of buildings and mosques. As such, and based on the continuity and development in the architecture of the era, the Mulūk-u-ṭavāyifī Turkmen Beyliks era can be considered as the connecting link between the architectures of two important historical eras in Anatolia: the Seljuk era, and the Ottoman era.