Iconographic Approach to Diyarbakir’s Two Monumental Victory Towers Made By Malik Shah The Sultan of Great Seljuk

In this study the two towers made by the Sultan of the Great Seljuk Empire, Malik Shah in the southwest section of Diyarbakir’s outer city walls to honour the victory and named them Great Seljuk and Malik Shah (or Nur: light). The facades of the two towers have flowered and embossed Kufic script inscriptions with figures, and constructed by the architect Muhammad of Urfa, the son of Selamet during the governor of Diyarbakir Abu Ali el-Hasan, the son of Abdulmalik. Both towers relate to the same governor, the same patron, the same construction manager and the same architect explain the resemblance of towers to each other in frontal compositions, and link the towers with their symbols and signs to the same cultural medium. The symbolic figures of the Malik Shah tower are especially rich. Sultan Melik Shah with numerous signs and symbols on the towers makes a political and cultural statement, whereas the date of its construction coincides with the year of the horse, multitude of horse figures are used with comprehensive several symbols and meanings. On this tower it is emphasised that the Great Seljuks led by Malik Shah will defend this part of homeland, Diyarbakir with full strength and herald that all future battles will be victorious as well. On the side facade of the lower tower the eagle-rabbit struggle scenes symbolise a victory and herald victorious future battles. Along with both towers’ perpendicular axis, and at the left and right sides of the inscriptions the eagle and the ruler depictions, and the decorative figures of symmetrical pairs are references to the ancient celestial and earthly symbolism where the ancient Turks with their celestial faith and shaman tradition could be explained with these mythological elements. The first examples of victory monuments in Anatolia go beyond the depths of ancient world of Turkish culture and faith. The cosmological backgrounds of such detail carry itself to the present day, and therefore historic, cultural and artistic values of these two towers are paramount.

Keywords

Malik Shah; Alparslan; Diyarbakir; Eagle; Horse; lion; Bull; Naked woman.