Educational Sites in the Middle Ages of Anatolia: Samples of Seljuk Madrasas and Hospitals

Konya, Kayseri and Sivas are the most important cities in Anatolian Seljuks period with respect to political, social, and culture. Numerous military, religious, and civil buildings were constructed in such centers as Konya, Kayseri, Sivas, Erzurum, Kirsehir, Amasya, and Tokat. The madrasas that have Education-Instruction and Health Institutions in the civil architecture are the most striking monumental samples of the settlement centers. The madrasas that are the educational institutions at tertiary level were constructed by sultans, viziers, and statesmen of the era. The fact that the number and the variety of madrasas in the cities indicate the accumulation of knowledge and the level of education. The hospitals designed the same way as madrasas are either next to medicine madrasas or take over the two duties (education-hospital) together. The education in madrasas varies in religious and positive science perspectives. All of the madrasas were financed by endowed charities in Islamic world and in Anatolia in the middle age. Within this concept, it is similar to funded universities nowadays. The inscriptions and endowments of madrasas reflect the status and the environment of the buildings, education type, qualities of students and educators.