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The history of İstanbul written from a new perspective
Introduced at an event at Dolmabahçe Palace on Feb. 10, the two books explore different aspects of Ottoman cultural history. “The Art of Writing on the Sky: Mahya” was prepared with the collaboration of a wide range of academics and artists. It examines the art of mahyas -- the messages spelled out with lights strung between minarets -- which are unique to İstanbul, and reflect a story that starts with the use of oil lamps and moves on to light bulbs, while “Ottoman Headgear” examines the headgear which represented the social structure of Ottoman society.
Announcing that a “Mahya competition” will be held in the summer, Şekib Avdagiç, the chairman of the İstanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency executive board, highlighted the importance of the two books as a way of conveying İstanbul’s historic cultural assets to future generations.
Also speaking at the event, the İstanbul 2010 European Capital of Culture Agency traditional arts director, Ömer Faruk Şerifoğlu, said there will be other projects on traditional arts during the year that will help to rediscover and revive traditional arts in İstanbul and throughout Turkey by making them visible and integral to the cultural and artistic infrastructure of the city.
Mahya as an ideological instrument
Professor İsmail Kara, one of the most important contributors to “The Art of Writing on the Sky: Mahya” as both publication advisor and one of the contributing authors, believes that such publications may raise awareness of the city’s history among İstanbulites. “I started to become interested in mahyas as a historian of ideas,” says Kara in an interview with Today’s Zaman. “As my studies advanced, I realized that İstanbul is still the center of the mahya tradition.” The mahyas have been one of the city’s symbols of Ramadan throughout its history; however, they are much more than simple decorations, according to Kara. “Until World War I, the mahyas were all in patterns, in other words, there was no writing. Thus, the transition to writing is an important phenomenon in itself.” According to Kara, this transition was highly ideological. “Instead of sending indirect messages, direct messages were sent to the people,” says Kara. “And what accelerated this process were the conditions during World War I. There were more nationalist elements emerging instead of the old patterns.”
“Whether Eastern or Western, anybody who came to İstanbul wrote about the mahyas,” says Kara. Noting that the book is the most comprehensive study of the subject since the work of Süheyl Ünver, Kara emphasizes that the book addresses various aspects of mahyas, including the religious, social and cultural aspects.
What’s inside?
“The Art of Writing on the Sky: Mahya,” edited by Yusuf Çağlar, contains about 150 images such as photographs, engravings, pictures and postcards, as well as articles written by specialists on the subject. The article by Kara, while including striking information about the mahyas, is also helpful for researchers in respect to the word mahya and how mahyas give spirit to Ramadan. The article by Necdet İşli describes the preparation of mahyas, while Beşir Ayvazoğlu explains how the mahyas have become one of the symbols of Turkish identity through the idea of national solidarity. While Şerifoğlu, the production editor of the book, focuses on the depictions of mahyas painted by artists, an article by Ünver about mahyas is also featured in the book. An interview with Kahraman Yıldız, a person who makes mahyas, shares details with readers on how to prepare mahyas.
“Ottoman Headgear,” written by historian Necdet İşli, focuses on the social structure of society in Ottoman times by exploring the different types and features of headgear, starting by examining the headgear displayed on tombstones. In this respect, the book fills an important gap in the field of cultural history as there were no books dedicated to the subject of headgear before, although they used to attract much attraction. The book includes the categorization, comparison and explanation of the different types of headgear in museums and other important places, such as Topkapı Palace.
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