The Turkish-era construction and repair activities in Antalya Castle (13.-20. centuries)

The subject of this thesis is the construction and repair activities carried out in Antalya Castle during the Seljuk and Ottoman periods. The study addresses the construction and repair of the fortification elements of Antalya Castle, including the walls, towers, gates, and their components such as battlements, parapets, and stairways. The historical framework of the thesis spans from the Seljuk conquest in 1207 to the end of the Ottoman era. The aim of the study is to reveal the construction and repair activities performed on the fortification elements of Antalya Castle during the Seljuk and Ottoman periods. The thesis attempts to examine comprehensively the building activities carried out in Antalya Castle during the Turkish era, based on the available period sources. The data collected within the scope of the study were obtained through written sources such as inscriptions and Ottoman repair survey registers. The information derived from these sources was cross-checked with fieldwork conducted in the castle. As a result of the study, the locations of the construction and repair activities, the materials used, the architects and workers involved, and the costs were identified. According to the inscriptions found in Antalya Castle, during the Seljuk period, repair were carried out on the towers of the outer walls in the northwest, on the tower located to the north of Hadrian's Gate along the eastern wall line, on the middle walls and their towers, as well as on the inner walls and their towers. The construction activities in Antalya Castle are among the most comprehensive repair or reconstruction efforts of fortresses undertaken by the Anatolian Seljuks. The repair works in the castle stand out as they were commissioned by three different sultans: I. Izzeddin Keykavus (1211–1220), I. Alâeddin Keykubad (1220–1237), and II. Giyaseddin Keyhusrev (1237–1246). The primary sources regarding the Ottoman period repair of Antalya Castle are the repair survey registers, which were kept during the reign of Sultan Mahmud II (1808–1839) in the first half of the 19th century. Through eight registers dated 1815, 1816, 1819, 1825, 1828, 1835, 1836, and 1842, the restorations carried out in the castle are learned in detail. The most extensive repair of this period took place in 1815. Most of the repair activities were carried out on the outer walls and towers of the castle.