Analysis of the Masjids of the Great Seljukid Caravanserais: Case Study of Ribati Sherif

Abstract

“Ribat”, an Arabic word, means “keeping watch along the border to prevent enemy attacks”. In the history of Islamic architecture, it was used for the structures where soldiers tied their horses and kept watch along the borders. In addition to military training, worship and scientific activities were also important in ribats. Volunteer soldiers, called Muraabituun, would spend their time outside of military training with Qur’an reading, worship and dhikr, and prepare themselves for jihad. Therefore, the military function and the spiritual dimension were intertwined from the beginning. The masjids of the ribats are of great importance when evaluated in this context. The first ribats were built in Central Asia from the VIII century onwards. The Great Seljuks built ribats following the Samanids and Ghaznavids. Ribati Sherif, which is the subject of the research, is one of the most mature examples of the Great Seljukid ribats. Kâtib Ali al-Mansûr Asad b. Muhammed es-Sarahsî was the architect of the caravanserai, which is thought to have been built by the governor Şerefü’d-Dîn Ebû Tâhir b. Sa’d b. Ali b. İsa al-Kûmmî, in 1114-1115 and later became the vizier of Sultan Sanjar. Within the scope of this study, the architectural features and decorations of the two masjids of Ribati Sherif were analysed and evaluated within the architectural heritage of the Great Seljuks. As a result of the research in which literature review and field research methods were used as data collection methods, it is seen that the details of the Great Seljuk plan scheme, building technique, and ornamentation art can be called standardised spread over a large area.