Window Glass from the Excavations in the Seljuk Palace at Alanya

Year 2020, Issue: 23, 451 - 478, 15.11.2020

Ömür Bakırer

https://doi.org/10.47589/adalya.838099

Cited By: 1

Abstract

This article concerns a small group of crown glass fragments recovered in the excavations of the Palace built inside the inner citadel of Alanya, Turkey. It was constructed during the reign of the Seljuk Sultan ‘Ala’-al-Dın Kay- Qubad I around 1221-1223 and used until 1246. This makes the dates for the utilization of the
glass known, if not the date of their production. The studied glass was recovered during the first period of the excavations conducted by Prof. Dr. Oluş Arık and his team between 1985-1992. Fragments of glass for everyday use, glass with prunts, and a few fragments from the so-called luxury glass enameled beakers, all recovered in the same context, were published by the author in two earlier papers. This group of glass was possibly used for the windows of the private chambers of the elite. Reference is also made to three archaeometry studies that helped in establishing the material properties of the glass finds.

Keywords

Selcuk Palace, Citadel of Alanya, window glass

Thanks

The glass mentioned in this article covers those studied between 2002-2005 when I participated in the excavations of the Alanya Seljuk Palace. During the period between 1985-1992, this group of glass, in situ or fragmentary, together with wall tiles, frescoes, ceramics and metal were also recovered from different spaces which were documented and studied by other members of the excavation. Some restitution practises of the original plan and the preserved state of the Palace were also made. The excavations by Arık continued until 2009 in other spaces around the Palace grounds, and new glass fragments were recovered. But these were not studied either by the author or anyone else. I am indebted to Prof. Dr. O. Arık for giving me the opportunity and consent to study the glass finds and publish my reports. My special thanks are to Prof. Dr. Kenan Bilici, Asst. Prof. Dr. Leyla Yılmaz, and Asst. Prof. Dr. Sema Bilici for their hospitality during my several study visits to Alanya and the excavation.

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