Mosaic Magic – Turkey

Turkey is famous for its tile – making heritage. Iznik tiles are famous. Actually Iznik is a place near Istanbul, where this art actually started. Of course the tile making art has had many improvements over the years. Turkey however still promotes this art and is very proud of its artists. One must remember that the original mosaic of Turkey were part of the Byzantine empire and todays ‘Istanbul’ was ‘Constantinople’ of that era. This empire was Christian and later the Ottoman empire which occupied this area was of Muslim descent.

The ticket of the Istanbul Mosaic Museum – the best souvenir. Discovered by British Archeologists from Scotland. Most Mosaics here are believed to be by the Byzantine Emperor Justinian.

By Bysantine Artists

The Mosaics were almost perfect. In terms of proportion, anatomy, shade and light and were never in simple postures or positions.

Dragon eating a Lizard. The animals, events and narrations of the mosaic were very varied. Mythological as well as historical.

Full bodied humans or animals, hunted or in pain, portraits or just faces, each artwork was incredibly perfect. Dating back to 650BCE these mosaics clearly show the greek influence and their love for mythical narrations.

This is the famous Deesis mosaic in the south gallery of the Hagia Sofia. Emperor Michael VIII Palaiologos is probably responsible for theses rich gold mosaics. For a very long time ,places of worship like the Hagia Sofia were used as a church and a mosque. This type of image is referred to as a deësis (δέησις), which means “entreaty,” suggesting an act of asking, pleading, begging. However, this title does not actually appear in the mosaic, and scholars debate whether the Byzantines actually used this term much to describe such images. – http://www.khanacademy.org

Modern day Istanbul still has beautiful works of mosaic done on large walls to remind everyone of a skill that still exists.

Upper part of the Topkapi Palace Museum

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  Topkapi Palace Museum

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  Haseki Hurrem Sultans Tomb

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Detail of the handcrafted tiles used in the Ottoman mosques

Every time you enter a space of worship in Turkey, its a feast of mosaic colours. The brilliant blues and incredible indigo merge with the gorgeous greens to present an artwork in ceramic wonder.

Photographs by Jyotika Karve Sept 2019