The genesis for this book was a trip to Turkey in 1991. That led to a life-long interest in the development of Islamic architecture in the region, and a desire to understand the diverse sources and webs of cultural interactions that occurred over the course of many centuries in Anatolia and the surrounding region. It is a topic that occupied much of my postgraduate studies at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London, and was the focus of my doctoral research at the University of Edinburgh. Much of that work is included in this volume, which has resulted from the tireless support and encour¬agement of Professor Hillenbrand. While I make no pretence to be a political historian, the lack of a concise overview of the origins and history of the Rum Seljuqs and their contemporaries led to the compilation of the narrative history that comprises the somewhat lengthy introduction to this volume. This basic framework provides for a clearer understanding of the milieu into which the subject structures emerged.

The main aim in preparing this work was to present the most sig¬nificant of the little known yet fascinating monuments built at the behest of the Rum Seljuq sultans and other elite patrons in Anatolia during the period to 1220. Generally poorly published in any lan¬guage, and in many cases virtually unrecorded in English, the study of these buildings provides an insight into the process and working methods of a period for which virtually no written sources with regard to architectural development survive. With the exception of a photograph taken by Gertrude Bell and the images of three museum objects, all the images, cross-sections and ground plans are based on my fieldwork in Turkey. Some of these images are themselves now part of the historical record, as somewhat over-eager restorations have resulted in the loss of much of the detail, especially in the Sivas hospital complex.