SOAS Research Online

Abstract

The subject is introduced by a brief survey of the major works relevant to the study of Anatolian portals in the pre-Ottoman period. An account is given of the life, so far as it is known, of Fakhr al-Din cAli, a statesman and considerable patron of building in the thirteenth century, and to this is added a list of his known foundations. The portals of his foundations are studied in their chronological order with one possible exception. The major inscriptions are noted, and in the majority of cases where the portal also survives, this is described in detail and comparisons are made with other works which seem relevant to its composition and design. It has seemed desirable to accompany this section with numerous photographs. The problems relating to the designers of the portals of Fakhr al-Din cAli's foundations are reviewed, and an account is given of the light which a study of the portals throws on the patron. An attempt is made briefly to situate the portals of Fakhr al-Din cAli in the development of style in the thirteenth century and to show their importance as exemplars and transmitters of unconventional forms of composition and decoration.