Abstract:

With the conquest, the Seljuks tried to adapt the non-Muslims in the Anatolian lands to the new order and to create a new society united on a common ground. The traces of the activities carried out in line with this policy can be followed in the places of worship of non-Muslims. We can see that when a region was conquered, the largest church was converted into a mosque, the others were mostly untouched, this was a political practice, not a religious one. It is known that as a result of the inviolability of worship and belief, churches were repaired as well as new ones were built. The churches provide important readings about Seljuk’s Anatolia with their frescoes and inscriptions. We can learn that new churches were built with inscriptions or that existing ones were enriched with frescoes. Again, from these inscriptions, frescoes and decorations, it is seen that the relations of church members and builders with the Byzantine Empire continued and the Seljuks did not prevent this. Kırkdamaltı (Saint George) Church is one of the important examples of rock churches in the Cappadocia region. This church is an important document about the reading mentioned with its epitaph and frescoes. In this study, inferences about both Seljuk politics and the identities of church donors will be tried to be made under the leadership of material remains.

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