Konya: a palace and a mosque in the Seljuq capital

The explanations distinguish finds, interpretations and open questions. Sources appear at the end of the page.

What the source says

In the Met's timeline for Anatolia and the Caucasus, 1000-1400 A.D., the entry for 1096-1097 states that "at the invitation of the Byzantine court, the first Crusaders arrive in Anatolia en route to the Holy Land", and that "their capture of Nicaea (Iznik) forces the Anatolian Seljuqs to find a new capital, which is eventually established in Konya (1116)". Source 1.

The zenith

The entry for 1205-1243 opens with the words "The zenith of Anatolian Seljuq power". It says: "Besides centralization and military expansion, trade and artistic creativity also define this period. The caravanserais built for traveling merchants, as well as the architectural activity during the reign of 'Ala' al-Din Kai Qubad I (r. 1219-37), including his palace and mosque in Konya, are especially noteworthy." Source 1.

Dating

The source has two layers of date: the capital at Konya from 1116, and the palace and mosque within the reign of Kai Qubad I, 1219-37, with no more precise date for either. Both fall within the period of the Seljuqs, Crusaders and Armenians in Anatolia as this site defines it, approximately 1071/1081-1300. The zenith ends, according to the same page, in 1243: the Seljuqs are defeated by the Ilkhanids, the Mongol dynasty ruling in Iran, at the Battle of Köse Dagh, are forced to pay a large tribute, and Anatolia becomes closely linked to Iran politically, culturally and artistically. Source 1.

What the source does not describe

To the question of what the Seljuqs built in their capital, the source answers with two kinds of building, a palace and a mosque, and no more. It does not describe them, does not say where in Konya they stood or whether they stand today, and gives no place or date for the caravanserais it mentions. The mosque and hospital at Divriği, dated by UNESCO to 1228-1229, were built within the same years of the reign, and the article on them describes a building of the period in more detail. Sources 1, 2.

Scope of reading: the Met timeline page for Anatolia and the Caucasus, 1000-1400 A.D., was read on 24 October 2026, in short exact quotations, together with the UNESCO World Heritage Centre page on Divriği. No architectural description of the palace or the mosque at Konya, no inscriptions and no excavation publications were read.