Until April 12 London’s Royal Academy of Arts is offering a landmark exhibition tracing the development of Turkish art and culture from Central Asia to the Mediterranean. “Turks: A Journey of a Thousand Years, 600-1600” brings together over 350 outstanding works of art, including textiles, manuscripts, calligraphy, woodwork, metalwork, and ceramics.
The visitor’s journey begins deep in Central Asia, home of the Turkic peoples in the 7th century. A nomadic tribe, the Uyghurs, prospered with the growth of the silk trade and left manuscripts, textiles, and wall frescoes that illuminate their culture and their varying religious practices. Among the pieces on display in the “Turks” exhibit are objects found in caves in the Turfan region of China.
A few centuries later, the Seljuks were the first to bring Turkic culture from Central Asia across the Middle East to the Mediterranean. Nomadic like the Uyghurs, but fervent Sunni Muslims, the Seljuks began migrating west in 1040, led by Sultan Tughrul Beg. By 1055 they ruled Iraq and Syria from Baghdad. Adopting Iranian methods of government, the Great Seljuks settled in the region, founded schools and presided over a flourishing of art and architecture. The Royal Academy exhibition features a magnificent Seljuk carpet from the mosque built in Konya, in central Anatolia, for Sultan Alaeddin Keykubad. The Rum Seljuks, a subgroup, moved further west and settled in Anatolia. By the 13th century, both groups were overcome by new invaders from the east - the Mongols.
The greatest name in Mongol expansion is indubitably Genghis Khan (c. 1160-1227). He was emulated by a later Mongol ruler, Timur (c.1330-1405), known in the West as Tamerlane. Timur seized power in 1370 and established a vast empire encompassing central Asia, northern India, Iran, Syria and Anatolia. A controversial, larger-than-life figure in medieval history, Timur was by turns a ruthless conqueror and a patron of the arts. He is credited with fusing the nomadic culture of Central Asia with the settled culture of Iran, creating a new visual language. The art of the Timurid Mongol period glorified its fabled ruler and proclaimed his devotion to Islam. Scholars, artists and architects from from all over the empire gathered at Timur’s court. A 30-meter architectural scroll from the Timurid era, displayed in the London exhibit, depicts geometric patterns.
The first Turkic dynasty native to Anatolia, and the group that most museum-goers associate with Turkey, is the Ottoman rulers. They descended from Osman I Gazi (1258-1326). Osman was of Turcoman origin, and he led the Gazis, or “Warriors of the Faith.” Like the earlier Seljuks, the Gazis were Muslims and their major mission was military conquest. Their chieftains assumed the title of “Sultan” which had been used by the Seljuks.
In the 15th century, the death of Timur and the infighting in the declining Byzantine Empire gave the Ottomans an opportunity to extend their influence. In 1453 the Ottoman Sultan Mehmet II the Conqueror led his troops in an attack on Constantinople. After a bitter siege, the walls were breached and the ancient city became the home of the Ottoman Imperial Court.
Under the Ottoman rulers, Constantinople entered a new golden age. Sultan Suleyman II the Magnificent (1494-1566) commissioned many superb works of art, literature and architecture. The talented artists at his court included glassmakers, calligraphers, miniaturists, silver-and goldsmiths and ceramic artists who created the famous and widely sought-after Iznik tiles and vases.
Suleyman’s military conquests extended from Western Arabia and Palestine through the Balkans to Hungary. An armored caftan of Mehmet the Conqueror and a ceremonial sword of Suleyman the Magnificent, are featured in the exhibition.
Also on display are a set of mosaic wooden doors designed by the architect Sinan for the harem, or private living quarters of the Sultan. Mimar Sinan (1492-1588) has been called the Michelangelo of the Ottoman Empire. During his long life he created many magnificent buildings in Istanbul, Aleppo, Edirne and elsewhere.
Before Sinan, Ottoman building methods were based on a formal, rigid, structural system. Informed by classical Greek theories of architecture, Sinan introduced a new concept of the psychology of space. The interior spaces of his buildings are free-flowing and original, and they bear the mark of his creative spirit. In the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, Sinan designed three spiral staircases intertwined in such a way that three individuals can use them simultaneously without seeing one another.
Sinan achieved unity of style by harmonizing color schemes, decoration and design. He chose locations where his buildings would fit naturally into the environment and where they could be viewed in all their splendor. The son of a stonemason in a central Anatolian village, Mimar Sinan designed over 400 buildings including mosques, palaces, hospitals, schools, hammams, caravanserais, aqueducts and fountains. It is said that of his three most famous works, he regarded the Sehzade or Princes’ Mosque (in Istanbul) as the work of an apprentice, the Suleymaniye Mosque (in Istanbul) as the work of a mason, and the Selimiye Mosque (in Edirne) as the work of a master.
“Turks: A Journey of a Thousand Years, 600-1600” continues through 12 April 2005 at the Royal Academy of Arts in London. The exhibit is accompanied by workshops, lectures, and other events. A fully illustrated catalogue is available. For more information, please consult the websites
