On the southwest shore of Lake Beysehir is a small verdant plain, beyond which rise the foothills of the Anamas Mountains, a branch of the Toros. Here, on the summit of a rocky headland, are the remains of the 13th century Seljuk palace complex of Kubad Abad. The palace was built by the most celebrated Seljuk sultan Alaeddin Keykubad in 1235-1236, and consists of the Great Palace to the north, the Little Palace to the south, and a shipyard beyond.
Excavations carried out here in 2001 uncovered the palace baths to the east of the Great Palace. The ruins and traces of numerous buildings belonging to the palace are scattered over the site. The remains of courtyard walls, ramps, water pipes, fountains, and a harbour can be identified. South of the shipyard was the royal hunting park known as firdevs or garden of paradise, where a dam created a small artificial lake supplied from streams high in the mountains.

The buildings of both the Great and Little palaces of Kubad Abad were arranged around central courtyards with eyvans (recessed bays in the façade), a layout originating in Central Asian and Persian architecture. The interiors of these buildings were decorated with wall tiles in various techniques and decorated with a wide array of designs incorporating human figures, a feature unique to palace decoration. Tiles mainly in the form of eight pointed stars and crosses have been found in the throne room and reception hall of the Great Palace, and at various places in the ruins of the Little Palace.
The fascinating representational style of these tiles combines with the symbols of Seljuk iconography to create a world of fantasy. The most prominent figure is the double-headed eagle, both symbol of royalty and a protective talisman of the palace. On the breast of many of these eagles are inscribed the words 'Es-Sultan' (the Ruler), 'El-Muazzam' (the Magnificent), and 'Es-Saadet' (Felicity).

Among the rest is a curious picture, deriving neither from traditional folklore nor religion, but rather in the nature of a caricature. It consists of a caml'st head attached to a bird's body in illustration of the Turkish for ostrich, devekusu or 'camel bird', and is a typical example of a conceptual picture, as found in Turkish and other Oriental cultures.
The tiles bearing miniatures style pictures found at Kubad Abad form the most important source of information about the depiction of the human figure in Anatolian Seljuk art. The largest single group among these depict sultans and courtiers full-face, and seated cross-legged in what is known as the 'Turkish posture'.

Details such as the clothing worn by the figures in the Kubad Abad tiles are a valuable source of information about Seljuk ethnography.

* Professor Dr Rüçhan Arik is head of the archaeological excavations at Kubad Abad