preview

How Did Religion Influence The Ottoman Art

Decent Essays

The Ottoman Empire came after the Byzantine Empire; it was located in the Middle East and what we know today as Turkey. The Empire’s territory extended from the Mediterranean Sea all the way to China and the rule existed for more than seven hundred years. Islamic religion dominated the Ottoman era and therefore, had a great impact on the kind of art that the Empire produced. An example of how religion was highly influential was the fact that most of the art did not include human forms as it was considered forbidden in Islam.
The Golden Age of the Arts was a time period when Suleyman the Magnificent (1520-1566) ruled. In that period, the most fascinating architecture and art was accomplished as a result of sultan Suleyman’s interest and encouragement towards art. The Topkapi Palace was the main administrative headquarters for the sultans and it is where prestigious and talented artists from different regions gathered.
Art in the Ottoman Period
The nakkashane was a famous painting school at The Topkapi Palace and it introduced three styles of painting:
• Traditional which used floral patterns, vines and blossoms that were interconnected
• Saz which involved more images such as Chinese-inspired dragons as well as other creatures
• Naturalistic which included paintings of gardens and flowers such as tulips and …show more content…

Weavers at the time produced carpets that were mostly wool and utilized geometrical shapes making carpet-weaving a renowned industry for the Ottoman Empire. Calligraphy was another prominent form of art which involved demonstrating the beauty of written figures. Moreover, the exquisiteness of Ottoman architecture can be observed through mosques (buildings for Islamic acts of worship), kulliyes (buildings surrounding mosques) and public bathrooms or hammams. (Przybylek, S.,

Get Access