Belt and Buckle Straps Found in Kubad-abad Palace

The Anatolian Seljuk Period is one of the underregognized periods of Turkish Art of Metal. Our knowledge concerning this period is limited to some objects, such as incense and candle holders made from percious metals. In this article, belts and hunger buckles are first promoted as wares of daily use in Medieval Turkish Period. The last 30 years-long excavations in Kubad-Abad Palace located in Beyşehir district of Konya, one of the best preserved palaces of the Anatolian Seljuk Period, made available to retrieve number of different objects as antiques giving insights into the Medieval times. Kubad-Abad is located on an alluvium plain on the south-western shores of Konya-Beyşehir Lake, at the foot of the Anamas Mountain. It surrounds the Bronze Age mound. It is a large city-palace that stretches from the lake shore – even from the islands in the lake – to the Anamas Mountain and holds tens of constructions. The metal findings of the palace famous with its worldwide known tiles hold a very rich repertoire. The belts and hunger buckles as poorly known finds provide solid evidence with regards to recognition of the wares of daily use in Seljuks. The nature of belt and buckle straps pertain to the Medieval Turkish period has not been attempted in detail so far. Among these, one-side written bordure hunger buckle is a rare object in the Anatolian Seljuk Period and possibly belongs to sultan and his family circle.

Keywords

Belt Buckle, Metal, Anatolian Seljuk Period, Kubad Abad Palace, Excavation.