
What is
Tile ?
Tile is a one face glazed coating
substance which is decorated with
coloured patterns and decals.
Underglaze technique is used while
making our tiles. It is beleived
that tile art has been started in
the Middle East and from there moved
to Anatolia and to Europe. Asur,
Iran, Middle East Turks and
Egyptians have used tiles-which is a
branch of Fine Arts now - to
decorate buildings and inscriptions.
At the ages of Selcuklu and Ottoman
Empire, in some places in Anatolia
tile production have been made. So
many tile samples from the ages of
Selcuklu Empire glazed in firuze (turquoise),
gren, cobalt blue, Brown and
transparent colors can be seen.
It is very amazing improvement of
the technique –in the 16th century-
to apply these seven colors under
glaze : turquoise, blue, a kind of
dark green, red, light cobalt, white
and sometimes black
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The history of tiles in Anatolia
goes back to Uygur arts, 8th century.
In Idikut and Karahocu diggings, the
floor tiles of temples have been
seen blue and grey glazed bricks. In
the Gazne diggings for the 11th
century, some tile pieces have been
seen and these were similar with the
Uygur tiles. We know that Turks used
glaze on bricks, by the soil made
glazed pots which have been used
since. In Turkmenistan tile is
called “kashi”.
In the Turkish architecture the use
of tiles according to architecture
in tiles decoration model begins
with Iran Selcuklu Empires. Kufi
writings on the minaret of Damgan
Mescid-i Cuma are the first samples
of such kind. The use and
improvement of tiles in architecture
begins with 13th century. After than
with the Anatolian Selcuklu Empire
it is used widespread, improved by
the Otoman Empire times and reached
to our day with a great importance
in our architecture |
Period of Anatolian Principalities
The use of tiles in the period of
principalities is not so much as
Selcuklu magnifience. But some
samples show the achievements of
this art.Especially the Mosque of
Esrefoglu Principality (1299) in
Beyşehir and the tomb (1301) near it
has the most magnificient tile
decorations.
The inside door which enables to
enter to the mosque and which holds
the epitaph is like a victory of the
tile arts and mosaic tile covering
art. It is seen that plant decal is
dominant on the mosaic tiles which
cover the ceiling of the tomb. Here,
the application of the mosaic tile
in pentagon form shows a technical
characteristic.
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