CENTURIES
IN ANATOLlA
Beyhan KARAMAGAHALI
The Mongol invasion of Anatolia caused a great İmpact on all bran-ches of Islamic art as well as political, social and eeonomie changes. As a result of the new elements from east and west Turkestan, Mon-goIistan, Central Asia and Iran, Anatolian Seljuk st yle gained a new charactel'l.
The great Turkoman masses eseaping from the Mongols passed through Horasan and Iran and took refuge in Anatolia. With the entry of the Mongols into Anatolia, the moral and economİc Collapse of the people began. Because of this, the people gathered round the sheikhs and dervishes in search of salvation and seeurity. During this, the most turhulent time in AnatoIia, some perverted sects eame into existence and thus many convents were buiIı. Following the destruction of Ala-mut Castle by Hulagu, the batını sheikhs and dervishes took refuge İn Anatolia and among the newly converted ignorant refugees from Hora-san, these esoteric custom s and heliefs quiekly spread. In this respeet, this period of Anatolian history is most eonfused time. Many batını sheikhs and dervishes travelled from village to village and town to town to spread their own beliefs and ideas. Paralell to this, the seet literature, musie, ritual dance, plastic and drawing art and arehitecture eome into being. Up to the present, few studies have been carrİed out on Order artı. However no serious study has been made on plastic art.
1- Halıik Karamağaralı, Anadolu'da J\loğol İstiliismdan Sonra Yapılan Dini Mimarlık Eserlerinin Plan ve Form Özellikleri, unpublished lıabiHtation thes;s. 1964; Halıik Karamağu-ralı, Erzuruın'd"ki Hatuniye Medresesi'nin Tarihi ve Biirıisi Hakkında Bazı Müli'ıhazalar, (Re-view of Selçuklu Araştırmaları III, Ankara 1971) pp. 235-239.
2- Semevi Eyice, Osmanlı.Türk Mimari,inin Bir Cami Tipi Hakkında, (First Internatio-nal Congress of Turkish Art 1959, Ankara i962), pp. i87-ı88; Semavi Eyice, İlk Osmanlı Devri.
278
Those studies which have heen made do not stress that this art is re1ated to the ordcr. Beeause of this they have been evaluated from a different angle. Literature, musie and eostumes of the ord cr are not included in our studies.
Among these orders many artists were trained whose works ref-leet their eustoms and beliefs. Beeause the artists did not add their sig-nature to their work, it is extremely diffieult to deeide to whieh artists the works belong. However we only eome across the names of these artists.
The seulptured tomhstones mostly made by unknown artists ın Anatolia are typical examples on the Ol.der-art. The lion and sun com-position seen on Kırşehir, Sivas and Tokat tomhstones represent Hz. Ali (Şir u Hurşid) (Fig. 1); the pigeon (Fig. 3), goose, stork (Fig. 2), faleon motifs are eonneeted with the loved and respeeted people of the seet3• The eoek is also a sacred animal in the Bektaşı oı"der. The tombstone
in the Tokat Museum has a doııhle-headed eoek figure4 (Fig. tl.). Rosettes
on the tomhstones have a symbolie meaning for the Alevıs. The number of rosettes from 3 to
17,
seen on the variolis tomhstones, represent some of the deeply respeeted personalities. 3 is eonneeted with the trinity of Ali-Allah-Muhammed; 5 is eonneeted with Muhammed, Ali, Hasan, Hüseyin, Fatıma (Ehl-Beyt);12
rosettes for the twelve Imams eaIIed Isnaaşeriye,14
indicates the fourteen Masum-ı Pak, namely martyrs of Kerbela and17
shows the seventeen Kemerbest (The saints of Ahi). Also 4,6,
7,8, 9, 32 nuınbers have a sacred meaningS (Fig.5-6).
Further,the striking hasish (opium poppy) leaf engraved on one of these tomb-stones, represents the holy plant whieh transpOl"ts the batını believers
nin Dini-lçtima! Bir Miies,esesi, Zaviyeler ve Zaviyeli Camiler (Review of
ı.
U.İktisat Fakülte-si,XXI, 1963) pp.1-64; Semav! Eyice, Trakya'da İnecik'te Bir Tahlıaneli Caıni (Review of Ta-rih Eneümeni, Nu: I,1970) 1'1'.171-196; Semav! Eyice, Boyalıköy Hanikiihı (Review of Tiirki. yat XVI,İstanbul 1971) pp.39-56; Yılmaz Önge, Bilinmeyen Bir Selçuklu Medrese,i: Konya Ali Gav Zaviyesi ve TiirIıesi, (Magazine of Öna'ya, Nu.28, 1967).3- Beylıao Karamağaralı, Sivas ve TokaL'taki Figiirlü MI'zarLa~larınırı Mahiyeti Hakkın-da (Review of Selçuklu Araştırmaları Il, Ankara 1970) 1'1'.89-109; Beylıan Karama~aralı, AIı-lat Mezartaşları, Ankara 1972, 1'1'.2-.20.
4- Beylıan Karanıağaralı, Sivas ve Tokat ... 1'1'.92...93; Beylıan Karama~aralı, Alıla!. .. 1'1'.12-15.
5- Beylıan Karamağaralı, Sivas ve Tokat. .. Jl.96; Beylıan Karanınlraralı, Ahlnt ... pp. 17-18; Cavit Sunar, Melamilik \'c Bektaşilik, Ankara 1975,1'1'.133-134, 141, 117, 150,184.
to heaven6 (Fig.
7-8).
We can show that this belief continued in to theXVIIith century by the tombstones (Fig. 9). Thesc symLols occupy an extensive place in bektaşi which acccpt Hacı Bcktaş Veli as a pir (saint) who was connected with Ahmed Yesevi of norasan. The tomb-stone in the Konya Taş ve Ahşap Eserlcr Museum (Inv. nu. 892) depicts Ahi Ahmed Şah and his feta who devoted himself to him. Ahi Ahmed Şah was the leader of futuvvet and he had thousands of devotcd young followers. He was called Sultanu'l-Feta in those times? (Fig. 10).
Among the stoneworks are the fountain spouts. The lion-shaped marble spout at the Hacı Bektaş eonvent near Kırşehir and the writing
"J"L.
Ya Ali" and the Zülfikar (Double-spiked sword) show us that the lion represenes Ali8 (Fig. ll). These symbols oecupy an importantposition in the Bektaşi, Batıni and Ahi sects. The April bowl (Nisan Tası) bequeathed to the Konya Mevlevi Convent which has figures of humans, coeks and double-headed lions on it, can be considered as an example of the ordcr' (Fig. 12).
Wooden doors found in the Ethnographieal Museum in Ankara, originally made for a convent or for a sympathiser of the sect also have lion-sun compositions, representing Hz. Ali exactly as on the tombstones. A wooden door from Karaman now found in the Istanbul Türk ve İslam
6- The eireumstanee of the opium leaf representing Paradise is not part of the bekl~i bcIiefs.llowever in Tokat it beeame popular eııough to be used to deeorate the tombstone of one of the prominent personalilie" of the period. Barak Baba, who was the sheikIı of Taptuk Emre, the no\'İee of Sarı Saltuk and loved and respeeted by the Mongol rulers, smoked opium (A.Gölpwarlı, Yunus Emre ve Tasavvuf, İstanbul 1961, 1'.23). Kaygusuz Abdal in his poem.
Allah Tangrı yaratan gel içegür eur'adan. Yar ilc yar olagör ağyar çıksun aradan.
makes known his liking for opium. Here opium is a means to be united with God (A. GÖll'ınarlı, Yunus Emre ve Tasavvuf, 1'1'.120-121); Muhyeddin Abdal in his poem.
Muhyeddinim haşhaşun Ehl-i vahdedim Iıoşum Tarikat fakrun oldu Anın için traşıın
explains the importanee of opium (S. Nüzhed Ergun, BektaşiŞairleri ve Nefesleri. İstanbul 1957, 1'.153).
7- Beyhan Karamağarnh, Sivas ve Tokat. .. , 1'1'.101-102; Beyhan Karamağaralı, Ahlat ... 1'1'.3-4.
8- Bedri Noyan, Hacı Bektaş, Pirevi ve Diğer Ziyaret Yerleri. İzmir 1969, 1'.19. 9- 1\1. Zeki Oral, Nisan Tası. Ankara 1951..
280
BEYHAN KARAMAtARAUEserleri Museum, has two lions on the upper portıon, a sun eomposition in the middle part and under this are two imaginary figures at the sides. Under the sun eomposition is an eııipse shaped inside whieh is the figıırc of a erouehing women10 (Fig. 13). The lion and peaeoek figures engravcd
on the wooden doar panel found in the Ethnographieal Museum Ankara eamc from one eonvent of Ankara. A coek and dragon engraved eup-board door which was transported to Kileci Masjid in Ak~ehir can be expIained as hclonging to the order art (Fig.
140).
There wcre special shapes for the metal a.lems (flags) of evcry Ol-dcr and sheikh. These are examples showing us the beliefs of thcse in the eonvent to which they belong. The flag nu. 5432 from Seyyid Gazi in the Ethnographieal Museum Ankara is made of hrass. Under the" ..iiI
God" writing at the top are two facing eoeks. Under these again are motifs resemhIing two eoek heads. On the sides at the bottom are two lions, under feet are two very stylized figures of decr or rabbits (Fig.
15-16).
The 487 numhered flag is made of copper and iron in parts. At the sides of the forked sword ended flag are two encircling dragons (Fig.ı
7). The flag numbcred 5438 has hecn hrought from a Mevlevi eonvent in Afyonkarahisar. lt is in three seetions. Ahove, eneircling the" ..iiI ~. Ya Allah" writing are two dragons (without heads) in an el-liptic form. Under this is another ellipse ending in two larger dragons. Within this are the words "~, .r~yl, ,j->' .:,-;-->Muhammed, Ebu Bckr, Hasan, Hüseyin". Dnder this again is an eııipse ending İn dragon heads. In the upper part of this eııipse is the word
".:ı~
Osman "undcr this is" ..iiIJ.J ~
..3;':II..ıı
':i La Ilahe iI'1-Allah Ali vcliyu'l-Lah" Wl'iting (Fig. 18)11. This flag together with the 5432 numhered flag are taken from two very similar ehahlons. Another eoll\'ent flag to he found in the EthnographieaI Museum in Ankara is in the Pençe-i Al-i Aba form known popuIarly as the IIand of Mother Fatwza (Fig. 19). There is a seaI very similar to this flag's form (Fig. 20).10- The figure of n erouehing women is found in e,,,tcrn eomılries froııı prchistorie limes onwards (Hans Henning von dcr Osten, Andent Orienta! Sea] in the Cüllcetion ofMrs. A.B.Erett. Chicago, Vol. 37, p1.9. Nu.91; Ward, Seal eylinders of W. Asia. Wnshington 1910, p.196: L.L. Legmin, Ur Exenvation, Vol. III, Kewyork 1936, p1.I4). But in South East Asia and India, this motif has entered Erahmnni,m nd Buddhism ns n goddes.
11- H.Z.Koşay-P. çetin, Etnografya ~füzesindeki Alemler (Magazin of Türk Etnografynsı, III 1958, Ankara 1959) pp.8i-8S.
The staffs and axes of the eonvents whieh have some motifs on them are not to be forgotten examples of the eraft art (Fig. 21).
Health mirrors also must he eonsidered as part of order art, as mmt some lamps whieh have motifs and some branehed eandlestieks. The fourtybranehed eandlestiek (Kırkbudak), whieh belong to the Hacı Bektaş eonvent symbolizes the fourty Imanıs. All the metal exam-ples mentioned above are part of order art.
The two earvings on the waııs of the eonvent of Sheiklı M:ekmln in Tokat, one depieting two deers pulIed by a dervish (Fig. 25) and the other showing the shrine of Sheikh Şihfıhüddin Sühreverdi who was the saint of Alıis, explain the rdation of this eonvent with Fütüvvet (Fig. 23-24). Çöreği Büyük Convent in Niksar has als o a deer figure on its gateway (Fig. 26). The deer is also a holy and respeeted anirnal in the Bektaşi order. Hacı Bckta~ Veli was represented by a deer and a lion on his lap (Fig. 27). The deer horns, wcre also put in shrines and eonvents. One of the dervishes eonneeted with Yesevi and Bektaşi ealled Geyikli Baba (Sheikh of deer) helped in the eonquest of Bursaıı.
Exeept for the Mevlevis, illustrated manuseripts, serolIs and panels showing the ritııal dancc, eustoms and eostumes of the order have not yet heen found. The batı ni dcrvishes in order to spread their heliefs and eostoms to the people who expeeted help from the m and also to perform thcil' eeremonies traveııed from Yillage to Yillage. These trayellers who were known as wellwishers and leaders showed serolIs and panels in order to explain their rites, heeause these pieturcs were easily transportable.
The alhums known as Fatih Album found in the Topkapı Sarayı Hazine Lihrary (Inv. ~u. 2153, 2160) have some miniatures whieh en-lighten this problem. Some of these pietures have been eut from some serolIs and hig panels and their original form has heen lost13• Most of
these miniatures seem to be eonneeteı! with the oı.ders. However, we can only guess to whieh seet the figures in the pietures belong. As we stated above, from the middle of the XlIIth century, among the eso. terie orders of Anatolia, Baraki, şamani heliefs and eustoms eontinued
12- Beyhaıı Karamağaralı, Alılat .. pp.16-17; ]ıI. ::"eşri, Kitalı.ı Cilıan Nüma (Neşre ha-zırlayanlar: F.R.Onat-M.A.Köyınen), I, Aııkara 19.19, pp.1611-169; Ediya Çelebi, Seyahatna-ıne, Vol. II, p.19; II. Tanyıı, Ankara ve Çevre,inde Adak ve Adak Yerleri, Ankara 1967, pp. 1117-1118.
13- Beylıan Yörükan (Karamağaralı), Topkapı Sara)'ı Müze,indeki Albümlerde Bulunan Bazı Rıılo Parçalan, (Annııa! of Sanat Tarihi, İstanbul 1964-(5) pp.187-188.
282 DEYHAN KARAMAGARALI
under the cover of Islam. The founder of the order, Barak Baba from Tokat, is one of the foIlowers of Sarı Saltuk and related to the Yesevi seet. He travelled nude except for a short skirt like the dervishes of kalenderis. He put horns on his head and wandered from village to vil. lage with a group of eight to ten people, who carried tambourines, kudüm (flute) and horns, shouting like a bear and acting like a monkeyl4.
This information fits closely to the figures in some of the miniatures signed "Muhammed Siyah Kalem". The miniature Inv. Nu. 2153/64 B beeause of its size was originaIly a scroIl or paneL. In this picture there is a group of people playing instruments and daneing in ecstasy. They wear only short skirts and have horns on their heads (Fig. 28). In the picture Inv. Nu. 2153/29 B there is a group of people in a circle com-position performing a ceremony. One on the left has a cup in his hand. In the middle, a figure with a short skirt doing also something with a horse whieh is unknown to us. In the forcground a woman is seen aIso in ecstasyand making a sign of the trinity with her fingers (Fig. 29-30). This trinity must be Allah-Muhammed-Ali. Moreover in the pieture Inv. Nu. 2153/38 B are seen two kalenderi dcrvishes. These figures have short skirts and leopard skins on their hacks. The figure on the right has a bag with fringes on the top, bottom and on both sides (Fig. 30). This bag was possibly used for carring opium. The kalenderi dervishes, among their many esoteric customs, smoke opium to get into a trancc. The figures have long beards. Even if most of the kalenderis shave their beards, moustaches and heads, all of them did not. Sarı Saltık and Ba-rak Baba did not shave1s• In the picture Inv. Nu. 2153/129 B are also seen two harefooted and shaven-headed dervishes with short skirts. One has a bowl (keşkül) İn his hand. These figures represent also kalen-deri dervishes caIled Abdalan-ı
Rum
or Divane (ecstatic). According to the information of the sources, the Abdalan-ıRum
wore animal skins with the fur outward on their backs, fairly high felt hats caIlcd börk and they wore also eircular necklaces and earrings and smoke hashishl614- Hüseyin lIüsumeddin, Amasya Tarihi, Dersaadet 1328-1330, pp.460-461; A. Gölpı-narlı, Yunus Emre ve Tasavvuf, pp.22-23.
15- A. Gölpınarlı, Yuuus Emre ve Tasavvuf, p.44; H. Hüsameddin from the Ayni History gives the deseription of Barak Baba us being an abundant haired brunette, witlı a long mous-taelıe and beard, dilek eyebrows, thiek uose of large buld aud verydir ty.
16- See note 6 aud Reşat Ekrem Koçu, Esrar, İstanbul Ansiklopedisi, p.5357, İstanbul 1969, for the importaııee of opium in Bektaşi aud Batini Orders.
(Fig.
32).
In the picture Inv. ~u.21;;3/128
A the figures with circular necklaces and having rods in their hands also represcnt kalenderi der-vishes (Fig. 33).lt was belicved that thcse dcrvishes cureu the sick. One of the Anatolian Abdal called "Kaygusuz" wrote a poem for Abual Musa who was the saint of the Anatolian abdals. This poem mentions a sick person comİng to the dervishes to he cured. In the picture Inv.
Nu. 2153/55
A is scen such a group of uervishes who drawn with their rods, bowls and high felt hat;; (börk) and simple costumes. An old man riding on a donkey in the middlc of this picturc represents one of the wandering dervishes and the others around him are his followers. On the left, the figure cal'-ries a sick woman on his back to the dervish with a hope of a cure (Fig. 34,).In all thesc pictures largc-honed faces, stont deformed figures, simple and modest dress in an arid enviroment were iIlustrated. The miniatures as a whole were not rich in colour and composition which consists of one, two or three figurcs. In these miniatures a gen re or dan-cing scene was preferred. Red and dark blue are the main colours. The skirts anu dresses fitting to the actions of the subject anu were full of folds drawn with lines. Thesc works concerned with the life of common ıwople were made by a different eoncept from the palace painting school of XVth to XVIth century which produced richly doured gold decora-ted and idealized figures and elaborate drawings. At the palace painting studio the themes of the picturcs were drawn court life and eourt women, love, heroir and hunting stories with crowded and rich compositions.
The problem of the origiıı and date of thesc miniatures have not yet been solved. Although they have aıready beeıı cIassified into the diffcrellt groups;!? in my opinion, to coıısider these group of miniatures together with the other paintings of Fatih Albums and starting from this point to identify their origin anu date, may lead us to a wrong conc1usion, as the re is no relation between these miniatures except
17- Beyhan Yörükan (Karaınağaralı), Topkap' Saray' Müzesindeki AlbiimIerde iluhınan Bazl. .. 1'1'.188-199; O. Aslanapa, Türkishe lI1iniatıırınalerei am Hofe Mehmed des Eroberers in İstanbul, (Ars Orientalis I, ı954) 1'1'.77-84; R. Ettinghausen, SOIDePainting in Four Istan-buler AlbUlll', (Ars Orientalis ı,1954) 1'1'.92-103; Z. V. Togan, Topkapı Sarayında Dört Cönk, (Review of Islam TetkikIeri Enstitüsii, l, 1f)5:~, İstanhul 1954) pp.73-74.
284
BEYllAN KARAMAGARALIbearing the same signature which was put afterwards and heing in the same colleetion. The second half of XIIIıh century until the middle of the XVth century was the time during whieh the activities of the tekkes and orders wcre most intensive. As i said above, the tekkes and zaviyes and many of the figured tomhstones were huilt in this time. This period in whieh the order and convent art eame into existenee was the most suitahle time for these group of miniatures due to the social eonditions. For this reason i suppose that these pictures must have been made in the first half of the XIVth up to the middle of the XVth century. East and west Turkestan, Iran and Anadolia were the regions where the dervishes with their followers wandered. Even though the source books whieh mcntion AnatoIia, have descriptions of the figures seen in the miniatures, it would he incorrect to consider a single centre where these travelling painters workcd. The painters would start a painting while at one stopping pIace and probably finish it in another place.
In
this way, they would show these paneIs and scrolls which they carried with them to the peopIe when necessary. These pietures were tak en to Topkapı Sarayı Library during the time of Sultan Yavuz Selim. This is under-stood from his seal on the alhums18• Thc pietures were brought to thcİstanbul Palaee in one of two ways. Either during Sultan Yavuz ScIim's return from the Çaldıran baule whcn he closed down some of the con-vcnts and killed nearly fourty thousand alevis who wcre making propa-ganda for Shah ısmail of Iran, brought their posscssions, including pcrhaps these paintings to Topkapı Sarayı. Or they were taken to Istan-bul by Bediüzzaman Mirza, the son of Hüseyin Baykara who with a group of kalenderi weIeomed Sultan Yavuz Selim at T~briz and was himself aIso a kalenderi'9• For these reason this collection eame to Mir-za's hand through the kalenderis.
Order and eonvent art, architeeture, handerafts and paintings must occupy a speeial placc. Order arehiteeture, order figured plastic and painting have not been studied separately in Jslamie Art. Aetııaııy some problems when regarded from thc viewpoint of the orders gain another meanİng. In our studies of historical culture, if wc take into considcration the history of the orders and eonvents, we will reach bettcr and more fruitful results.
18- Beyhan Yörükan (Karamağaralı), Topkapı Sarayı Müzesinde Bulunaıı Dört Albüm ve Albiimler üzerindeki Çalışmalara Toplu Bakış, (Magazın of Türk Etnografya, ı964-65) 1'1'.1-9.
