ABSTRACT
In the late twelfth century, Konya became the capital of the Seljuks of Rūm as they increasingly consolidated their rule in Anatolia and expanded their realm at the expense of rival dynasties, including the Danishmendids in Sivas and the Saltukids in Erzurum. By the 1180s, the Seljuks had become the nearly exclusive rulers of large parts of central and eastern Anatolia. They had established a realm that they could now consolidate through various measures, including shaping a capital in Konya, conquering further cities (particularly ports on the Mediterranean and Black Sea), and building a network of caravanserais to secure trade routes. During the rule of Ghiyāth al-Dīn Kaykhusraw I, beginning in 602/ 1205, the Seljuk realm became increasingly centralized, a process that would accelerate under the two subsequent rulers, ‘Izz al-Dīn Kaykāwūs I (r. 608-16/ 1211-20) and ‘Alā’ al-Dīn Kayqubād I (r. 61636/ 1220-37).1 This centralization, with its focus on Konya, had profound effects on urban planning in Anatolia.2
