Abstract:

Tile is one of the most prominent elements of interior and exterior architectural decoration in Turkish art. It was applied by the Turks for the first time in the Islamic world, adding an extraordinary richness to architecture. The art of tiles, which is used in a wide geography from Central Asia to Spain, was brought to Anatolia by the Seljuks. The tile decor, which was among the basic elements of ornamentation in Anatolia in the Seljuk and Ottoman periods, turned into a monumental art. The great development in the art of tiles, which was started to be applied by the Turks in Central Asia, took place in the period of the Anatolian Seljuks. In this period, very successful experiments were made in terms of color, technique, composition and pattern in tile art. In the 12th and 13th centuries, very beautiful examples were revealed. The art of tiles, which continued to be used by increasing its influence in the Ottoman period, reached its peak by showing an extraordinary development. Continuing its development with various techniques inherited from previous periods in the 14th-15th centuries, Ottoman tile art reached its peak in the 16th century with the influence of the state's economic power. In this period, the underglaze tile technique was most successfully applied to the works. Motifs, patterns and compositions were developed and new styles were added. The main colors used in the classical period were cobalt blue, turquoise, emerald green and coral red. Interior and exterior surfaces of religious and civil architectural structures such as mosques, tombs, palaces, mansions and fountains are covered with tiles of unique beauty. The aim of this study is to examine and reveal these features of the tile art, which reached its peak in terms of color, motif, pattern and composition in the Ottoman period, in the example of the Sultanahmet Tomb, which was built at the end of the classical period.

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