Anatomical Evaluation of the Fountain Inscriptions of Istanbul New Mosque: Comparison of Mustafa Râkım and Samî Efendi
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Tarih
2025
Yazarlar
Dergi Başlığı
Dergi ISSN
Cilt Başlığı
Yayıncı
DINBILIMLERI AKAD ARASTIRMA MERKEZI
Erişim Hakkı
Özet
In Islamic civilisation, writing has gained significant importance as a means of aesthetic expression and conveying divine messages. This process, which started with the writing of the Holy Qur'an, turned into a visual art form over time. The Arabic alphabet was enriched by the contributions of different cultures to the spread of Islam. For this reason, it would be more accurate to use the concept of 'Islamic script' instead of Arabic script. This writing tradition, which developed with the contributions of civilisations such as Iranian, Turkish, Andalusian, and Indian, peaked mainly during the Ottoman period. The patronage of politicians and rulers of calligraphy paved the way for new and different writing styles. Mehmed S & acirc;mi Efendi (1838-1912), one of the most important representatives of Ottoman calligraphy, exhibited great mastery in jali s & uuml;l & uuml;s writing. His New Mosque Fountain inscription in Istanbul is one of the most outstanding examples of this art. The inscription consists of twelve cartouches, each 30x50 cm in size, with carefully stacked (balanced) inscriptions. The cartouches are horizontally arranged in oval forms called 'den-dan'. This monumental work, 93 cm wide and 212 cm high, is remarkable for its fine quality and aesthetic order. The inscriptions are carved on the marble at a depth of approximately 0.5 cm, the letters are decorated with gold leaf, and the ground is painted in neft & icirc; green. In addition, the cartouches' frames and the inscription's outer edges are decorated with 1.2 cm wide gold leaf, creating a sumptuous effect. Since there is no standardised me & scedil;k (practice) tradition in Jal & icirc; s & uuml;l & uuml;s script, this work by S & acirc;mi Efendi is a unique source for understanding the anatomical structure of calligraphy. In the detailed analyses, drawings were made using the original moulds preserved in the Topkap & imath; Palace Museum, and the traditional 'dot' technique was applied to dimension the letters. This technique plays a key role in determining the proportions of the letters. When S & acirc;mi Efendi's understanding of composition is analysed, it is seen that he designed the writing area in the cartouches close to the dimensions of the golden rectangle. He established an aesthetic balance by using the golden ratio principle in the placement of the letters and distributed the long letters in a balanced manner within the cartouche. In particular, he gave depth to the composition by placing sacred expressions such as Lafz-& imath; Cel & acirc;l (the word of Allah) and & Idot;sm-i Neb & icirc; (the name of Prophet Muhammad) in the centre of the golden spiral. The fact that the points of contact between the letters are usually one-third or two-thirds shows that he worked with mathematical meticulousness. Dots, gestures (reading marks), and ornamental elements are also placed with a balance between space and fullness. All these details reveal that S & acirc;mi Efendi applied the golden ratio not intuitively, but with a conscious and scientific approach. The first line of the inscription begins with the letter 'elif' and the name 'Mehmed Han'. The most striking elements in this arrangement are the simple stance of the letter 'elif' and the splendid stacking of 'Ism-i Neb & icirc;'. S & acirc;mi Efendi wrote the Prophet's name in a long form and emphasised it at the top of the composition. It is thought that the Sufi motto 'elif is truth, mim is guidance' lies behind this preference. This expression is interpreted as 'elif' symbolising the unity of Allah and 'mim' symbolising the guidance of the Prophet Muhammad. In the lower left corner of the inscription's twelfth line is S & acirc;mi Efendi's signature. This signature form was developed by the great master of Ottoman calligraphy, Mustafa R & acirc;k & imath;m Efendi, and has been adopted by many calligraphers today. In conclusion, the inscription of the Yeni Cami Fountain is an excellent example of how Islamic calligraphy blends aesthetic subtleties with mathematical principles. This work of S & acirc;mi Efendi should be recognised as an important treasure in Ottoman art and the history of world art. The preservation and transfer of the work to future generations is of great importance for the sustainability of our cultural heritage. An interdisciplinary approach should be adopted for academic studies and restoration projects in this context. In addition, the cooperation of different fields of expertise, such as visual analysis, digital archiving, art history, epigraphy, and material science, will contribute to the correct understanding of such works, their healthy survival, and increasing social awareness.
Açıklama
Anahtar Kelimeler
Turkish-Islamic Arts, Calligraphy, Public Fountain, Jeli Thuluth, Calligraphy Anatomy
Kaynak
DINBILIMLERI AKAD AR
WoS Q Değeri
Scopus Q Değeri
Cilt
25
Sayı
2
