Stone ornamenting in Turkish period buildings in Antalya

Antalya has been an important port city throughout history, and this has caused various states to want to dominate this region. The states that conquered Antalya left traces of their own cultures here, and the traces of these cultures have survived to the present day. Stone material has been used extensively in the works made in the Antalya region from the Lycian Civilizations to the Ottoman Empire. The buildings were not only made of stone material, but also the buil- ding decorations were made of stone material. Anatolian Seljuk, Beylikler and Ottoman Peri- ods, which are the research subject of this thesis, also contributed to this cultural richness. In line with the investigations, a total of 29 structures containing stone decorations belonging to these three periods were identified. 18 of these are dated to the Anatolian Seljuk Period, 5 to the Beylikler, and 6 to the Ottoman Period. It has been observed that they sometimes used spolia materials when creating these structures. Among these buildings, Evdir Han and Karatay Mad- rasah, which show a very intense decoration program, show the most distinctive features of Anatolian Seljuk decorative art. In this decoration program, 8-10 pointed stars, zigzag ornament strips and knot motifs are frequently seen. Karatay Madrasa offers a rich ornamentation prog- ram that includes floral compositions in addition to the intensity of geometric ornamentation. Alara Han has figural decorations; The lion heads designed to place lamps are remarkable. In the buildings of the Beylikler Period, the decoration program continued with the influence of the Anatolian Seljuks. For example, the star and geometric motifs on the portal of Emir Sina- neddin Madrasa are the same as the Anatolian Seljuk star motifs. Zincirkıran Mehmet Bey Tomb is very rich in terms of herbal composition. The dragon motif seen on the portal jamb of the Oba Madrasa in Alanya is quite striking. In the structures examined from the Ottoman Period, decorations are generally concentrated on the mihrab and pulpit. In Tekeli Mehmet Pasha Mosque and Elmalı Ömer Pasha Mosque, the pulpits are made of marble and floral motifs are engraved with fine workmanship. The stone decorations found as a result of the research conducted for this thesis are a document that the mentioned periods continued their existence in this geography. Stone has become an important material both in decoration and in the construction of buildings. Since it is such a durable material and can preserve itself for almost centuries, it has become an impor- tant resource for us to document the cultural heritage of these periods. Keywords: Antalya, Anatolian Seljuks, Beylikler, Ottoman, Stone Ornamenting