A New Caravanserai Inscription from The Reign of Kaykhusraw I
Resul YelenTurkish principalities and states were established in different regions alongside the rule of Turks in Anatolia. Zoning activities were carried out following resettlements and acquisitions in order to make them permanent. Having a dynasty be long-lasting, remain strong politically and militarily, and possess active intense commercial activities is important for the welfare of the communities being ruled. New trade routes are seen to have emerged in addition to the old routes during the Anatolian Seljuk era for this, with many caravanserais being built along these roads. Trade routes starting from Tabriz, the Caucasus, and Syria were able to reach Trabzon, Sinop, Konya, Istanbul, Aegean, and Mediterranean ports without interruption. Many caravanserais were also maintained between these centers to provide safe and comfortable transportation along these routes. The Anatolian Seljuk Empire was centered in Konya as the strongest of the Turkish principalities. Therefore, many caravanserais were built in and around Konya. These caravanserais were also called hans [roadside shelters] or ribats in terms of the type of building type regarding construction inscriptions. While the term han was used in the inscriptions for the majority of Anatolian caravanserais, ribat was preferred as a term for only a very few structures. Ribat occurs in the inscription catalogued under Inventory No. 28598(27) in the Ankara Ethnography Museum. The inscription was engraved during the reign of Kaykhusraw I. Choosing ribat as the term to identify the type of construction, it being constructed during the reign of Kaykhusraw I, and the name of the patron found in the inscription have led to suggestions as to which structure this inscription may belong.
I. Gıyaseddin Keyhüsrev Dönemine Ait Yeni Bir Kervansaray Kitabesi
Resul YelenTürklerin Anadolu’ya hâkim olmalarıyla farklı bölgelerde Türk beylikleri ve devletleri kurulmuştur. İskân ve yurt edinmelerden sonra kalıcı olabilmek için imar faaliyetlerinde bulunulmuştur. Bir devletin uzun ömürlü olabilmesi, siyasi-askeri yönden güçlü kalabilmesi, hükmettiği toplulukların refahı için ticari faaliyetlerin yoğun ve hareketli olması önemlidir. Bu amaçla Anadolu Selçuklu çağında eski yolların yanı sıra yeni ticaret güzergâhları ortaya çıkmış ve bu yollar üzerinde çok sayıda kervansaray inşa edilmiştir. Tebriz’den, Kafkasya’dan ve Suriye coğrafyalarından başlayan ticaret yolları Trabzon, Sinop, Konya, İstanbul, Ege ve Akdeniz limanlarına kadar kesintisiz şekilde ulaşabilmektedir. Yollarda güvenli ve rahat ulaşım için tesis edilen merkezler arasında birçok kervansaray yer almaktadır. Türk beylikleri arasında en güçlü konumda olan, Konya merkezli Anadolu Selçuklu Devleti’dir. Dolayısıyla Konya ve civarında çok sayıda kervansaray inşa edilmiştir. Bu kervansaraylar inşa kitâbelerinde yapı türü tanımlaması bakımından han veya ribat olarak isimlendirilmektedirler. Anadolu’daki kervansarayların çoğunluğunun kitâbesinde han tabiri kullanılırken ribat tanımlaması ise çok az ve sayılı yapıda tercih edilmiştir. Ankara Etnografya Müzesi’nde 28598 (27) envanter numaralı bir kitâbede ribat kelimesi okunmuştur. Kitâbe I. Gıyaseddin Keyhüsrev zamanında hakkedilmiştir. Üzerindeki yapım türü tanımlaması olarak ribat kelimesinin tercihi, I. Gıyaseddin Keyhüsrev zamanında inşa edilmesi ve kitâbede geçen bani ismi bu kitâbenin ait olabileceği yapı için önermelere yol açmıştır.
Turkish principalities and states were established in different regions in Anatolia alongside the rule of Turks there. Zoning activities were carried out following the resettlements and acquisitions in order to make them permanent. Having a state be long-lasting, remain strong politically and militarily, and possess intense and active commercial activities is important for the welfare of the communities under its rule. New trade routes were created and caravanserais were built alongside the old roads at the time of the Anatolian Seljuk Empire for this purpose. Trade routes starting from Tabriz, the Caucasus, and Syria were able to reach Trabzon, Sinop, Konya, Istanbul, Aegean, and Mediterranean ports without interruption. Many caravanserais were built between these centers to provide safe and comfortable transportation while on these routes. The Anatolian Seljuk Empire was centered in Konya as the strongest of the Turkish principalities. Therefore, many caravanserais were established in and around Konya.
Construction inscriptions refer to these caravanserais as hans [roadside shelters] or ribat in terms of the type of building type. While these inscriptions use the term han for the majority of caravanserais in Anatolia, ribat is seen to have been preferred as the term for only a very few structures. The meaning of ribat as a term has undergone semantic changes depending on the social events that have occurred throughout history. Ribat as a word contains meanings such as bond, rope, han, and tekke. The phrase ribat-ül hayl is used in the Qur’an with regard to hitching a horse. Hadiths use this term to express protecting one’s borders and keeping watch. Ribats are traditionally fortresses in Islamic geography where soldiers gather to guard the borders. As the borders expanded, the need for these structures decreased, with ribats now falling within city borders and their identity being changed over time. Structures such as tekkes, zawiyas, and khanqahs have also been described as ribats as time went on. In addition, shelters found along the sides of trade routes such as han and caravanserai have also been called ribats. Thus, ribat, which was used as a military term, also began being used to promote religious and commercial buildings throughout history.
The term han usually appears in the inscriptions regarding commercial buildings in Anatolia from the Seljuk Empire and Ottoman Empire. The use of ribat as a term for these buildings was rarely preferred or encountered. Ribat also appears in the inscription catalogued under Inventory No. 28598(27) in the Ankara Ethnography Museum. The infrequent use of the term ribat and the fact that it has not been a subject in previous publications were instrumental in making this the subject examined in this work. Ribat being chosen here to identify the construction type in this inscription, the structure being constructed during the reign of Kaykhusraw I, and Kameruddin Kaymâz being mentioned as the patron in the inscription provide some suggestions as to which structure this inscription may belong.
The name Kaymaz Han is encountered when examining medieval sources and studies by other researchers. These days, historians and art historians refer to the structure located on the Konya-Aksaray Road as Akbaş Han or as Dibidelik Han. Other sources have written that Kaymaz Han may be Akbaş Han. Clues are found in sources that suggest Kaymaz Han may be Akbaş Han, the building mentioned in the inscription this study examines. The word ribat is also mentioned in the inscriptions for other Kuruçeşme and Dokuzun caravanserais built during the reign of Kaykhusraw I. In addition, the floorplan typology and spatial characteristics of these caravanserais resemble those of Akbaş Han (i.e. Kaymaz Han), the one examined in the current study. These three caravanserai structures have a similarly sized courtyards and covered units. They have rooms and a portico system that face each other in their courtyards. They have vaulted units at the entrance to their courtyards. The barn-like (covered) units of these structures extend vertically, with the middle unit being wider and three congregation halls being present. Thus, the common features these structures have are that they were built during the reign of Kaykhusraw I, ribat is the term used to identify these buildings in inscriptions, the same floorplan style was applied to these buildings, and they have the same spatial dimensions.
The manner in which the inscription this study examines came to the Ankara Ethnography Museum reveals an interesting situation. According to the museum inventory registry, this inscription had been moved from the Ahi Şerafeddin Tomb to the museum.
The sultan at the time when the inscription was made, the patron named in the inscription, and the presence of ribat as the identifying term are what have made examining this work important. The results from the inscription show the name of the caravanserai to be Kaymaz Han, a caravanserai that has been referred these days as Akbaş Han or Dibidelik Han. As a result of the study, one can say that this caravanserai can also be known as Kaymaz Han again by studying this inscription.
