Maritime fortifications of Arwad and Alanya from the eleventh to the fourteenth centuries: Liminal shores

This thesis analyzes the fortresses built by the Ayyubids and Crusaders on Arwad Island in Syria between the 12th and 14th centuries, alongside Alanya's city walls, the Red Tower, and the Tersane, constructed by the Seljuks in the 13th century, from a maritime perspective. It examines how these constructions reflected the strategic motivations of their patrons, particularly Salah al-Din and Ala al-Din Kayqubad, to maintain a presence at sea, where the Crusaders held significant power. The thesis argues that the targeted audience of these fortifications extended beyond land to the sea, aiming to build visibility for maritime observers. This visibility was meticulously designed for distinct groups, such as the Crusader navy, the Italian city-states led by Venice, Lusignan Cyprus, and Muslim and non-Muslim merchants. The study highlights the deliberate efforts to integrate religious, political, and economic messages into these coastal fortifications by analyzing the architectural elements and decorative programs of Arwad and Alanya. Furthermore, by addressing the naval issues faced by both the Ayyubids and Seljuks and their strategies for maritime presence, this research fills a gap in the existing scholarship. It provides a new layer of understanding to the concept of maritime visibility in medieval Islamic architecture and demonstrates the importance of naval power and sea-oriented visibility in the architectural patronage of the liminal shores of Arwad and Alanya.