ISTANBUL Aydın University’s academic Gülüzar Çevik is also a tile artist. Having ranked first in the fine arts talent exam at the university, Çevik studied tiles as a graduate student and examined the Hagia Sofia Hünkâr Mahfili Mihrab Façade’s tiles in her graduate thesis. For her postgraduate dissertation, she worked on the Tulip and Carnation patterns of Sinan, the Architect’s Rüstem Paşa Mosque.

A HISTORICAL DISCOVERY

During her research for her postgraduate thesis, Gülüzar Çevik also made a historical discovery. So far, the Rüstem Paşa Mosque, famous for its tiled interior, has been known to have 41 tulip patterns. However, Çevik unveiled 66 tulips in her thesis research. The artist engraved these 66 tulips full of meaning on a board, named her work ‘Garden of Eden,’ and displayed it in her exhibition. Çevik answered our questions on her art and artwork:

What is tile’s role in traditional Turkish arts?

Perhaps tile art is the most Turkish art form because we observe its existence initially in the Muslim Karahanli state, then in the Seljuks. Tile art peaked during the Ottoman Empire. So, throughout centuries, it developed, synthesized and emerged in unique works parallel with the architecture as the history and states changed. In this way, it also inspired other branches of art. Speaking of Turkish art, the glazed brick that comes first into mind is today known as tile.

A SPECIAL MOSQUE

What are your thoughts on Rüstem Paşa Mosque’s patterns?

Rüstem Paşa Mosque is a special mosque because it opened its doors and showed me what it hid from anyone else. It is quite like an oyster coming out of an ocean of mosques. It has a plain exterior but hides many pearls inside. One who enters this mosque feels herself in a museum filled with the colour blue. Think of a sea inside which you can breathe easily; it feeds the soul and the mind. I once again respectfully extend my gratitude to Sinan the Architect.

Rüstem Paşa Mosque is a mosque famous for its 41 tulips. I studied the tiles inch by inch during my thesis studies and ended up with 66 tulips. I documented this result in my thesis, studied the tulips and transformed them into tiles everyone can observe. I also prepared boards comprising these tulips. The most special one is the 160x80 tile board titled ‘Garden of Eden’ containing all 66 tulips. Though it appears pretty symmetrical at first glance, it has an asymmetric design. Each tulip has been placed based on calculations to cause harmony. The unique design of each tulip can be observed when looked at carefully.

THE SECRET OF NUMBERS!

I want to stress the number 66 in particular. In my research, I discovered that this number was not coincidental. According to Gemetria, 66 equals the wording of God. Considering that the tulip flower’s single bud symbolizes God, we can establish that each of these

66 tiles with tulips commemorates God. I felt this in the deepest corner of my heart and believed in it.

Good for our soul

Do you have any additional remarks on tile art?

Turkish tile art is much more than meets the eye from the outside. On top of all, this is an art of wisdom, for it witnessed many generations and nations without making any compromises. It is powerful and has its own rules. Breaking its rules results reduces its beauty. Tiles breathe just like organisms. The humidity absorbed by the pores on its surface is gradually processed, and we refer to this process as ‘şahler’. This process is quite good for our souls. It draws all the negative thoughts we carry. There are many things tiles wishes to tell us if only we can develop empathy. It must be studied with its rules, and all stages of this art form must be experienced. Tile art is quite similar to the lifetime of a human. It is blended, shaped, processed and baked until it reaches the desired maturity.

The best colour to reflect Turks

The colour blue stands out in tile art. Does this bear a special meaning?

The colour that best defines the Turkish nation is the blue of infinity, supremacy and skies, and blue is indispensable for tile art. This colour is acknowledged for birth, existence, inception and being the first.

In Turkish culture, blue is dominantly expressed as the colour of the ‘sky’; it is the colour of the sky and the water considered sacred. They remind eternity, reproduction, security and tranquillity. Blue symbolizes friendship, loyalty, prosperity, radiance, cleanliness and spirituality.

The sky is associated with a dome, a canopy in our culture, and we refer to the sky as the ‘canopy’. Therefore, the colour of the sky is used in structures such as mosques, madrassahs, tombs and minarets. The tiles used in interior areas express silence, eternity, peace and sentimentality.

USED IN MEDICAL TREATMENTS

Turks have used and blessed the colour blue ever since their existence. This colour was also quite popular during the Ottoman Empire. They combined the calm, deepness and tranquillity of the blue with cure and founded a healing centre in Amasya.

In this healing centre, mental and physical illnesses were treated with music, the sound and the colour of the water. Sabuncuoğlu Şerefeddin, one of the most famous doctors of the era, was the first to use the sound of water and music during Ottoman rule. The secret of this treatment method used in the Ottoman Empire seven centuries ago is being realized quite recently.

Presently, the healing benefits of the colour blue and its different shades approved by medicine are defined as such: Blue is the sky and sea colour, meaning trust, loyalty, wisdom, self-confidence, intelligence, faith, reality and heaven. It is frequently associated with depth and balance. The colour blue is good for the mind and the body.

The colour blue is believed to ease the illnesses and relieve the pain. It is thought to have benefits for problems with the neck area, such as hoarseness and goitre. Blue is suitable for persons who go through a shock. It has a calming effect due to its cooling characteristics. It diminishes anxiety and fear and fortifies serenity and pe