A victory monument in the name of Sultan Malik Shah in Diyarbakir – Medieval figural reliefs used for political propaganda ? (original) (raw)

the Seljuqs of anatolia, sometimes called the rum-Seljuks, are known for their frequent use of figural representations, especially in the decoration of their architectural commissions. 1 this tradition, however, was already well established by the end of the 11th century in south-eastern anatolia, and it continued under the emirates, or beyliks, all over anatolia during the 14th and early 15th centuries. if we take into account this entire period, altogether some hundred stone reliefs on more than fifty monuments are recorded. 2 only the ottomans, generally speaking, did not continue this tradition, for reasons i shall not discuss here.