Abstract:

Since Turkish art has a very long history and different geographical interactions, it contains several different contents. For societies that have been tied to the same land for a long time, a short title may be sufficient, however it is necessary to explore and comprehend Turkish art and their interactions in three main periods with three main titles, namely Uyghur, Seljuk and Ottoman arts. Almost all of the supernatural creatures and animal figures that we can see from the 5th century BC have left their place to the floral motifs. The nomads were urbanized, polytheistic beliefs and idols were also replaced by monotheistic beliefs, and the shamans turned into folk poets playing qopuz and saz. The Seljuk society carried the symbols of previous beliefs in its memory for a long time. Until the end of the 14th century, influence of Asian originated themes in Seljuk art continued in decorations. We can see that different and even opposing themes which do not turn into one another stand together in the same place, they want to protect their identity, and sometimes they touch each other. Throughout history, Turkish art, which has common fields with both Asian culture and Islamic culture, also interacted with other sub-elements. It has gradually changed and differentiated from time to time with the contributions of Buddhism, Totemism, Medieval sects, and some local cultures. While sometimes wall paintings of the Uyghur period or carpets and rugs, which are the products of the hunter nomadic culture are very important, sometimes architecture and tile art and book arts have come to the forefront and world-famous pieces of art have been produced. It is difficult to explore and learn the common denominators of Turkish motifs and ornaments in such a variety, however, it is also very important and essential since we have a valuable source.

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