The Seljuks were Turkoman nomads who invaded Persia, converted to Islam and recognized the Abbasid caliph.  The Seljuk period in Iran dates from 1050 to 1250. They were ambitious builders who developed the classic mosque plan with four iwans arranged around a court. They used brick with great sophistication to create arches and domes as well as complex surface patterns.

Head of a Seljuk Prince, 12th century

Tomb towers at Kharraqan, 1067-8; 1093
Tower of Tughril, Rayy, 1139,
Mausoleum of Sultan Sanjar, Merv, 1152
*Gunbad-i-Qabud, Maragha, 1197
          Compare Gunbad-i-Qabus, Gurgan, 1006-7

Manar of Ghiyath al-Din, 1153/1203, Jam

*Great Mosque, Isfahan, 8th - 17th centuries
        Court with four iwans, 11th - 12th centuries, tiles added in a later remodelling
        North dome, 1088
        Library vaults, 12th century
 
 
 

ISFAHAN  NORTH DOME	ISFAHAN  SOUTH DOME

This is a wonderful web site that takes you around the city of Isfahan.  It is the source for the images above and many others.
http://isfahan.anglia.ac.uk/

Web site created by CC student Kip Donath
Great Mosque of Isfahan
 
 

Some Islamic presence in India from early times, but distinctive Indian Islamic architecture began with the conquest of northern India and the founding of Delhi under Qutb al-din Aybak at the end of the 12th century. Delhi (actually seven cities) remained an important center through many dynasties, then New Delhi became the capital under the British.  Influence of native building traditions.
 

*Quwwat al-Islam Mosque, begun 1190s with later additions
        (compare carvings from the Great Stupa at Sanchi, 1st century b.c.)
         screen with corbelled arched added 1198
        Qutb Minar (Minaret), begun 1199, completed 1368
        Expanded under Iltutmish, Mausoleum of Iltutmish, 1210-1229
        Mosque expanded again under 'Ala al-Din (r. 1295-1315) who planned an
        even larger minaret left unfinished.
 
 

The Ayyubids were a Syrian dynasty of orthodox Sunni Muslims who supplanted the Shi'ite Fatimids in Egypt in 1171 through a coup d'etat by Salah al-Din (Saladin), who went on to reconquer Jerusalem from the crusaders.  In Cairo new fortifications and Sunni shrines were built. The Ayyubids were supplanted by the Mamluks in 1250. After the death of Salah al-Din, Syria and and Iraq were divided among various emirs and atabegs (governors) who in some cases were active builders and patrons of art.

In Iraq as Seljuk authority declined after 1180 the Caliphs reasserted some political power. A flourishing urban society produced great masterpieces of manuscript painting. Baghdad was destroyed by the Mongols in 1258.

Saladin's Citadel of Cairo, 1176-1207
*Mausoleum of al-Shafi'i, Cairo, 1217
Mausoleum of the Abbasids, Cairo, c.1240

*Citadel at Aleppo, early 13th century
Krak des Chevaliers, Crusader Castle (for comparison) 1142
 
 

The Seljuks defeated the Byzantine emperor at Manzikert in 1071 and took large parts of Asia Minor, which was divided among independent emirates. The Seljuks of Rum (Rome) flourished in the 13th century, but were eventually conquered by the Ottoman Turks in the 14th century. Their most prominent architectural forms were the turbe--tomb tower, madrasa--school, courtyard mosques with multiple domes, sometimes including a dome over the court. They followed regional traditions of stone and/or brick building often using tile mosaic to embellish interiors.

Tomb towers (turbe), Erzerum, 12th century
(compare Armenian church, Lake Van, 10th century)
*Karatay Madrasa, Konya, 1252
*Ince Minareli (Slender Minaret) Madrasa, Konya, 1258
Mosque and hospital, Divrik, 1228-29
*Sultan Han (caravanserai), Kayseri, 1232-36
Glazed tiles for architectural decoration

Study Question:  Visit the Isfahan web site  and travel through the Great Mosque (Masjed-e-Jomeh).  Keep track of where you are on the plan.  What are your impressions?

For more information constult O. Grabar, The Great Mosque of Isfahan.