Historical Context

After Ghiyâth al-Dîn Kaykhusraw II’s accession to the throne in 1237, the threat of the Mongol armies to Anatolia was on the rise. In 1243, the Seljuqs were defeated at the Battle of Kösedağ. Hence, they became a vassal state of the Mongol Empire and started to pay tribute to the Mongol Great Khan. After this point, Anatolia was ruled by amîrs who had come to agreement with the new overlords. The Mongol conquest influenced the construction projects of Anatolia. After 1243, Seljuq rulers stopped engaging in new construction projects. Khwand (Mahpari) Khatun’s buildings were among the last royal constructions in Seljuq Anatolia. In later decades, statesmen such as Mu‘in al-Dîn Suleyman (d. 1277) and Sahib ‘Ata Fakhr al-Dîn ‘Ali (d. 1285) who collaborated with the Mongol overlords, commissioned new monuments.