Yılmaz, Leyla. Antalya: Bir
Ortaçağ Türk Şehrinin Mimarlık Mirası ve Şehir Dokusunun Gelişimi (16. Yüzyılın
Sonuna Kadar). Ankara: Türk Tarih Kurumu Basımevi, 2002, 256pp.

ABSTRACT

Antalya:
The Architectural Heritage of a Medieval City and the Development of the City
Texture (Until the End of the 16th Century)

Antalya- Bir Ortaçağ Türk Şehrinin Mimarlık
Mirası ve Şehir Dokusunun Gelişimi (16. Yüzyılın Sonuna Kadar)

This work
addresses the historical architecture that shapes the identity of Antalya. In
the study, twenty-two architectural pieces built before the end of the
sixteenth century are examined. Buildings are classified according to
architectural features using the information derived from inscriptions.
Historical sources are advanced in cases where no inscription is available.
Unique structures that cannot be put into any architectural category are dealt
with separately.

The book begins
with a brief history of Antalya before and after Turkish rule. Thereafter, the
architectural works are examined. First, architectural structures which have been
partially or completely preserved their original forms are discussed, and
subsequently structures that have been mentioned in the sources but have not
survived.

The book not
only addresses the architectural structures, but also the decorative aspects.
The last section of the book is dedicated to the architectural changes
throughout history. The architectural development in Antalya from the Middle
Ages up to the sixteenth century is investigated in detail using information
from inscriptions and historical sources. In addition, two important maps are
presented in this section. The original texts of the inscriptions and Turkish
translations are given in the fifth section titled, ‘Inscriptions’

It is pointed
out in the work that no structure from the time of ‘Keykavus I’ has survived,
that real progress was made during the reign of ‘Keykubat I’, and that
important works guiding the city's architectural development were produced
under ‘Keyhüsrev II’. It is also conveyed in the book that Antalya was a
vibrant city in terms of trade, and that Seljuk architecture continued early in
the fourteenth century. The medieval background of the city did not change
during the Ottoman rule, but some new elements were added.

However,
beginning with the sixteenth century important changes and transformations in
urban architecture were realised. It is pointed out in the study that, in the
surviving structures, domes were used as roof covers, that ‘pendants’ and
variations of the Turkish triangle were used as transition elements, and that
stone was used as the main construction material. Antalya, surrounded by double
walls and ditches, is depicted as a good example of the ‘closed city’ model.

Başak
Acınan

Translated
by Ertürk Barlas