Belgeler Işığında Anadolu Selçuklu ve Beylikler Dönemi Medreseleri

Abstract

Madrasas emerged in medieval Anatolia as independent educational institutions that replaced the earlier mosque-centered study circles, thereby ensuring the institutionalization of education. The most fundamental sources documenting the identity and functioning of these institutions are inscriptions, which serve as architectural identity records, and waqf deeds, which are legal documents regulating their administrative operations and financial structures. Architecturally, madrasas were constructed according to two main plan types: open-courtyard and closed-courtyard layouts. These structures were generally single-story and consisted of units such as courtyards, porticoes, iwans, student cells, libraries, and tombs. In Anatolia, the closed-courtyard madrasa type was pioneered by the Danishmendids, while the earliest examples of the open-courtyard and porticoed plan scheme appeared within the Artuqid cultural sphere. The primary function of madrasas was to train the bureaucratic cadres required by the state and to defend Sunni ideology against Bāṭinī movements. In line with this mission, madrasas evolved into specialized institutions not only in religious sciences but also in fields such as medicine, hadith, and Islamic jurisprudence. The educational staff consisted of the müderris (chief instructor), the muʿīd (assistant who repeated the lessons), and faqīhs (students seeking knowledge). Waqf deeds indicate that the duration of education was generally limited to five years and that students received scholarships based on their academic performance, establishing a clear mechanism of academic discipline. Administrative management was carried out by officials such as mütevellis, who supervised compliance with waqf conditions, and cabis, who maintained financial records. The economic sustainability of madrasas relied entirely on the waqf system; revenues generated from villages, baths, and shops covered student stipends and all personnel expenses. With their monumental portals, minarets adorned with glazed brick decoration, and illumination openings atop domes, these structures stood as prominent symbols reflecting the architectural aesthetics and political power of their era within the public sphere.