Ala' al-Din Kayqubad ibn Kaykhusraw (Transliterated)
Kay Qubadh I b. Kay Khusraw I, Ala' al-Din (Alternate transliteration)
Alâeddîn Keykubad (Alternate transliteration)
Alaeddin Keykubad I (Alternate transliteration)
Kayḳubād I, 'Alāʾ al-Dīn (Alternate transliteration)
Kay Kubad (Alternate transliteration)
Kay Qubad (Alternate transliteration)
Alâeddîn Keykubad I, Sultan of the Seljuks (Variant)
Ala al-Din Kaykubad I was one of the most influential rulers among the Seljuks of Rum, the Turkic dynasty that ruled over parts of Anatolia in the late eleventh and twelfth centuries.
Kayqubad I's reputation came mostly from his victories in foreign policy and the expansion of the empire within the Anatolian peninsula, especially significant was the annexation of the southern Mediterranean shore around the Byzantine port city of Kalon-Oros, which he renamed Ala'iyya (modern day Alanya). He is also known for founding the palace cities of Kaykubadabad and Kaykubadiyya, as well as being a patron of other constructions.
The Citadel of Amasya (Amasya Kalesi) is situated atop Mount Harşena on the north bank of the Yeşilırmak. It was first constructed in the Hellenistic period at which time Amasya (Amaseia) was the seat of the Pontic Empire. It was restored multiple times, first in the Byzantine period, and then during the Seljuk period under the reign of sultan Kayqubad I (r. 1220-1237/616-634 AH), who reinforced its walls. It was restored a third time during the Ottoman period.
Ottoman historian and geographer Evliya Celebi describes the citadel as being pentagonal in shape, and as having a palace, ammunition depots, and cisterns.1 Today the ruins of the citadel contain a madrasa built in the fifteenth century as well as a Sufi lodge and bathhouses.
Sources:
Gabriel, Albert.Monuments Turcs d’Anatolie, 2:15-16. 2 vols. Paris: E. de Boccard, 1931-1934.
Wolper, Ethel Sara. Cities and Saints: Sufism and the Transformation of Urban Space in Medieval Anatolia. University Park: Pennsylvania State University Press, 2003.
