Ottoman Calligraphy

This is a sponsored post in courtesy of The Pen Company

Ottoman calligraphy began its life when the Turks migrated from Central Asia towards Asia Minor coming into contact with Islam along the way, they abandoned the traditional Uyghur text and adopted a hybrid written language based on Persian and Arabic tradition. In Islamic theology the text of the Qur'an is considered sacred as it is the word of Allah himself as revealed to the prophet Muhammed. This combined with the fact that artworks picturing human and animal forms are prohibited, meant that calligraphy as an art form flourished in the Ottoman empire with the most impressive works being undertaken in Istanbul. Istanbul became the capital of the Ottoman state in 1453 after Fatih Mehmet took the city effectively ending the Byzantium empire. Within Istanbul there are many fine examples of Turkish calligraphy one of the most famous being engraved in 1478 over the imperial gate at Topkapi palace by Ali Sofi a calligrapher in the reign on Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror.
Another famous and impressive example of Ottoman calligraphy is the Ottoman Tughra a highly stylised calligraphic signature that also acted as the Sultans seal and could be found on official state paperwork, coins and medals.

The Tughra varied from Sultan to Sultan and various examples can also be found carved above gates at Topkapi palace. Each Sultan would have a new Tughra designed by the court calligrapher at the start of his reign. The picture is the tughra of Sultan Mahmud II of the Ottoman empire, It reads Mahmud Khan son of Abdülhamid is forever victorious. Written in full it would appear like this:
محمود خان بن عبدالحميد مظفر دائماً
If you are interested to see a collection of beautiful examples of Ottoman calligraphy the Sakıp Sabancı Museum in Istanbul is located near Emirgan park and houses a collection of calligraphic art. The collection spans a period of 500 years and offers a comprehensive view of Ottoman calligraphic art consisting of nearly four hundred separate pieces including manuscript Korans , prayer books, calligraphic panels, imperial documents, poetry books and calligraphic tools.

Visiting Hours
Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday: 10 am - 6 pm
Wednesday: 10 am - 9 pm
Closed on Mondays.
Contact
Sabancı Üniversitesi- Sakıp Sabancı Müzesi
Istinye Cad. No:22
Emirgan 34467- Istanbul
Tel : 0 212 277 22 00
Fax : 0 212 229 49 14
Web : http://muze.sabanciuniv.edu
E-mail address : muze@sabanciuniv.edu


















.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Poisonous creepy crawlies and snakes in Turkey

Image
People often ask me about this, are there any poisonous snakes in Turkey? Or do you have to worry about scorpions; it always makes me laugh as I get a mental image of some hapless British tourist with a knotted handkerchief on his head, lobster red suntan and union jack boxer shorts trying not to spill his beer whilst grappling with a giant man eating scorpion at the hotel bar like an outtake from Clash of the Titans. The short answer is yes Turkey does have some poisonous inhabitants but the chance of you coming across any of them is so negligible as to be almost nonexistent. I have travelled around Turkey and visited many times and have managed to spot a poisonous snake on just one occasion, which means I see more poisonous snakes in my hometown in the south of England ( Adders ) then I do in Turkey. Admittedly the one snake I saw in Turkey was a horned viper , considered to be the most dangerous snake found in Europe, which my mother in law almost trod on when we were visiting a
Read more

Istanbul - City of the World's Desire

Image
Istanbul without a doubt my most favourite city in the world, located in north western Turkey split in half by the Bosphorus, the straits that separate Europe from Asia. Not only is it the only City in the world to be situated in two continents simultaneously, but it is also one of the largest cities in Europe. The sheer scale of the city is at first intimidating and later impossible not to fall in love with, hence the reason I return every year. For most visitors your first glimpse of the city will be as your plane comes in over the Sea of Marmara, complete with seemingly motionless boats, once you sight land you notice the glittering minarets and tightly packed high rise blocks before touch down at the thoroughly modern Atatürk Airport. Once you venture out into the city you will be immediately struck by the hustle and bustle of life in Istanbul, the packed streets and noisy roads as twelve and a half million people go around their daily business. Istanbul is not known as the “Cit
Read more

Travelling by Dolmus in Turkey

Image
The humble Dolmuş (pronounced Dol-moosh) sometimes referred to as a shared taxi is the cheapest way to travel in Turkey, Dolmus buses vary from city to city sometimes a small minibus sometimes a converted transit van. They normally stick to a set route although I have known them to go off route to drop you off closer to you destination in Istanbul. Dolmuş stops are indicated by a blue bus stop style sign with a large white “D” on it in some areas in other areas there are no marked stops, however Dolmus buses will stop and pick up or drop off anywhere along their set route you just have to hail them like a taxi. The sign in the front window of the Dolmuş usually indicates the route of the bus saying both the departure and destination point. It is generally accepted that the Dolmus never runs on time, and in fact the name Dolmuş translates as a taxi that doesn't start until its full (stuffed full) with passengers. Once you have hailed the Dolmus take a seat and pass your money to th
Read more