Beyşehir throughout history and the Principality of Ashrafids

As one of the largest towns of Central Anatolia Beysehir has been subject to many studies with thousands of years of historical heritage. Beyşehir where is located on the southeastern shore of a lake of the same name, came under the rule of many different states throughout history, hence a large number of ancient settlements which are dating from the Neolithic Age to Byzantine Age has been identified in the region. The city that earned a religious identity during the Hittite period has maintained this characteristic for centuries through different beliefs. In the Roman and Byzantine period, he attracted attention with its the closeness to the important centers of Christianity history and became a battlefield of the Arab-Sassanian influxes. Beyşehir entered into domination of the Turkish sovereignty by Seljuk conquest in the 11th century and the city with its all architectural elements turned into a regular and cosmopolitan Turkish-Islamic city when it reached the 13th century. After the Seljuks became a vassal state of Ilkhanid Empire before long the region grew into a capital of the Eşrefoğulları (Ashraf Oghulları or Ashrafids) which was a Turkmen principality. Eşrefoğlu Seyfeddin Süleyman Bey (Sayf al-Din Sulayman b. Ashraf d. 702/1302), who gave the name of city, and his successors built a monumental mosque, bedesten (bedestan, covered market), han (khan, inn), fortress, madrasa (theological school) and made Beyşehir a prestigious urban settlement in a very short time. This study focuses on the short-term political adventure of Ashrafids and its contribution to Beyşehir. Keywords: Beyşehir, Beg Sehir, Ashrafids, Ashraf Oghulları, Gorgoromeis.