DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.29463#0181
written by the Castilian ambassador Ruy Gonzalez de Clavijo. it
appears that for Timur, tents were more than just tents. They were
a means of advertising the splendor, power, and wealth of his em-
pire, and this same intention was followed by the Ottomans almost
until the end of their rule. Tents became a symbolic form. Later on
Turkish architecture of brick and stone imitated some patterns of
tents, as is evident in the composition of Ottoman sarays, which, with
their numerous kiosks and pavilions, were in fact cities of tents.
The composition of the yurt expressed the Mongolian and early-
Turkish concept of the world, being of an axial-and-crossed (and at
the same time) rounded construction. Heaven was symbolized by the
dome, while the cardinal points of the world made a cross. The yurt
was oriented according to these directions and suitably divided in-
side, giving to each inhabitant his appropriate place. Buddhism,
which reached the Mongols and the pre-turkish Uygurs, also articu-
lated the "directional" conception of the universe as visualized in the
mandala-labyrinth and in the ytMj&a—a symbolic tomb covered with a
dome, not much different in form from the yurt.
Early yurts were decorated inside with felt applique work, whose
numerous examples survived in the East-Asian tombs called Attr-
gAmrs, especially those of Pasirik, which were investigated by S. E
Rudenko.*" This was probably the source for the later tent applique
decoration so lavishly applied in the Ottoman Empire. Various kinds
of yurt were used for various purposes, even funeral yurts, adorned
on the top with a three-dimensional felt swan, symbol of death
(shown at the exhibition "The Gold of Scythes" in Vienna in 1989).
The regular yurt, unchanged for centuries, was white and undec-
orated, having only in its ideal form artistic features. As we know
from descriptions, including those of Marco Polo, a yurt of a great
ruler, however, a khan, was high, made of red felt, and sumptuously
decorated with gold, like a fabulous domed palace.
Recollections of such yurts were surely in the Turkish minds of
those who built the early sarays, after Islamization, and the idea of
nomadic life in tents never left the Ottomans. Taking inspiration
from their own pre-Islamic tradition and influenced by Persian and
Byzantine tent creations, they developed their own art of tents, which
proved to be most impressive and persistent. It still arouses the awe
and admiration of today's spectator when outstanding examples are
viewed in museums.
157
appears that for Timur, tents were more than just tents. They were
a means of advertising the splendor, power, and wealth of his em-
pire, and this same intention was followed by the Ottomans almost
until the end of their rule. Tents became a symbolic form. Later on
Turkish architecture of brick and stone imitated some patterns of
tents, as is evident in the composition of Ottoman sarays, which, with
their numerous kiosks and pavilions, were in fact cities of tents.
The composition of the yurt expressed the Mongolian and early-
Turkish concept of the world, being of an axial-and-crossed (and at
the same time) rounded construction. Heaven was symbolized by the
dome, while the cardinal points of the world made a cross. The yurt
was oriented according to these directions and suitably divided in-
side, giving to each inhabitant his appropriate place. Buddhism,
which reached the Mongols and the pre-turkish Uygurs, also articu-
lated the "directional" conception of the universe as visualized in the
mandala-labyrinth and in the ytMj&a—a symbolic tomb covered with a
dome, not much different in form from the yurt.
Early yurts were decorated inside with felt applique work, whose
numerous examples survived in the East-Asian tombs called Attr-
gAmrs, especially those of Pasirik, which were investigated by S. E
Rudenko.*" This was probably the source for the later tent applique
decoration so lavishly applied in the Ottoman Empire. Various kinds
of yurt were used for various purposes, even funeral yurts, adorned
on the top with a three-dimensional felt swan, symbol of death
(shown at the exhibition "The Gold of Scythes" in Vienna in 1989).
The regular yurt, unchanged for centuries, was white and undec-
orated, having only in its ideal form artistic features. As we know
from descriptions, including those of Marco Polo, a yurt of a great
ruler, however, a khan, was high, made of red felt, and sumptuously
decorated with gold, like a fabulous domed palace.
Recollections of such yurts were surely in the Turkish minds of
those who built the early sarays, after Islamization, and the idea of
nomadic life in tents never left the Ottomans. Taking inspiration
from their own pre-Islamic tradition and influenced by Persian and
Byzantine tent creations, they developed their own art of tents, which
proved to be most impressive and persistent. It still arouses the awe
and admiration of today's spectator when outstanding examples are
viewed in museums.
157