TURKEY TRAVEL GUIDE
Konya Archaeological Museum :
Archaeological finds from Konya and its surrounding region are exhibited in the Archaeological Museum which is situated to the west of the Sahipata Kulliye in Konya. In 1963 the museum moved to a new building and the objects are exhibited in the following pavillions :
1Pavillion of Gravestones, Sarcophagi and inscriptions : There are grave steles, sacrificial altars, and statues of lions and people from the Roman period (I-IV centuries AD); masonry, sarcophagi and inscriptions from the classic period; and stone objects from the Byzantine period exhibited in the museum garden and the colonnades opening onto the garden. Their place of origin is generally not known. You enter the enclosed rooms of the museum through the garden.
2Pavillion of the Classic Period: In this pavillion are inscriptions, statues, building stones, sarcophagi, clay, metal and glass Objects etc. found in the region of Lycaonia, Konya (Iconium), Bozkir (Isauria), Yalvac (Antiochia), Aksehir (Philomeleum.), Eregli (Heraclea), Ambar Koyu (Sidamara), Karaman (Laranda), Ladik (Laodikeia), Hatunsaray (Lystra), and Yunuslar. Among the most important of the exhibits is a marble Roman sarcophagus decorated with bas-reliefs depicting the twelve labours of Hercules, which dates from the III century AD and was found in 1958 near to Yunuslar Village.
3Excavation Finds : In the other rooms and show cases of the museum are various clay objects, pottery, stone objects and seals, statuettes, ornaments etc. dating from the Prehistoric age and the Hitite and Phrygian periods, found at Catalhoyuk. Can Hasan, Sizma and Kara-hoyuk.
Konya Archaeological Museum is important for the light it throws on the pre-Seljuk periods and the art and culture of the pre-lslamic periods in Konya and the surrounding region.
Karatay MedreseCeramic Museum :
In 1955 the Karatay Medrese in Konya, which was built during the Seljuk period, was repaired and turned into the Ceramic Museum. The Karatay Medrese was built in 1251 by the Seljuk Emir Celaleddin Karatay. It has a beautiful portal made of sky and White marble. The portal leads into a formerly domed entrance from which you enter the Medrese.
Wall tiles and porcelain dishes from the Seljuk, Beylik and Ottoman periods are exhibited in cases in the hall, exedra and in the recently restored vaulted and domed students' rooms of the Medrese :
1Seljuk period wall tiles : Wall tiles from Seljuk buildings in
Konya are exhibited in show cases to the right of the entrance. Turquoise
six sided tile panels taken from the Nalinci Baba (Nizamiye) Medrese
in Konya (XIII century), examples of mosaic wall tiles, and carved,
damascened and relief tiles with both motifs and inscriptions, make
up a rich collection of tiles.
2Seljuk Palace Tiles : In 1941 excavations in the neighbourhood of the Seljuk Palace situated on the northern slope of Alaeddin Hill in Konya, Which is thought to have been built by Sultan Kilic Arslan II (1156-1192), uncovered remains of the tiles which had decorated the walls of the Palace. Among them are over glazed tiles, most of them gilded, with figures and designs.
3Porcelain : As well as Seljuk porcelain lamps, plates, jugs etc. there are two separate collections of turquoise and cream coloured Seljuk plates and dishes. There is also Seljuk and Ottoman porcelain in the wall niches and wall panels.
4Kubab-abad Palace wall tiles : The best examples of wall tiles in the museum are those from Kubad-abad.
Kubad-abad is situated on the western shore of Beysehir Lake, near the present village of Hoyran. This palace was built in this beautiful spot by the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I, who had the walls decorated with tiles showing pictures, designs and inscriptions. The tiles were found during excavations in 1949, and from 1965 to 1967.
The tiles are decorated with Seljuk motifs and inscriptions, and pictures of people and animals in various colours in the lustre and under glaze techniques, and are in the shape of crosses, half crosses, octagons, stars and squares. Bowls and dishes, glass and metal items and stucco decorations etc. which were found along with the tiles are also on exhibit. The Kubab-abad Tiles are the finest examples of representational Turkish tiling.
5Tiles from the Beylik and Ottoman periods: In the other show cases of the hall of the Medrese are examples of Turkish tiling illustrating its development after the Seljuk period.
Museum of Seljuk Period Stone and Wood Carving :
The Inceminare Dar'ul Hadis built during the Seljuk period, was repaired in 1956 and turned into the Museum of Seljuk Period Stone and Wood Carving.
The Inceminare Dar'ul Hadis was built in 1267 by the Seljuk Grand Vizier Sahip-Ata Fahreddin AM, and designed by the architect Keluk son of Abdullah. The Dar'ul Hadis has a magnificent stone portal and a brick minaret decorated with tiles, of which the part above the first balcony has been destroyed. The rooms which had been demolished were restored in recent years.
In the courtyard of Inceminare are fine examples of gravestones, inscriptions, and building stones from the Seljuk and Karamanogullari periods found in Konya.
In the rooms of the museum are figurative stone decorations from Konya Castle, built by the Seljuk Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad I in 1221. Among the most interesting of these are bas-reliefs depicting a two-headed eagle, a winged angel, a dragon, a harpy, a fish, an elephant and rhinoceros, lions and people. In the show cases are representational, patterned and inscribed stucco reliefs from the interior decorations of the Konya Seljuk House.
Exhibited in the exedra of Inceminare are windows and doors, lecterns etc. taken from Seljuk and Beylik period buildings in Konya, Ottoman period chests of drawers, and other wooden works of art. Of particular interest are the doors and windows from the Beyhekim Mescid (XIII century).
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