the beauty of the written word

I had once come across a set of photographs in an in-flight magazine, of a beautiful mosque with giant swashes of calligraphic text painted on its walls, and these images rooted in my mind as something I needed to see in person. Over time I had forgotten about those inky loops, knots, and scimitar-tails on white— they had nearly left me until I visited Edirne and remembered that this was precisely the place where the mosque stood. I didn't know the name of the mosque, and so we hopped from one beauty to the next until we found the Eski Cami.

The night was cool and tinted orange from a nearby streetlamp. It was quiet, another world from Istanbul, and from the gate of the Eski Cami, I spied the alifs and laams of the name of God, like black spears pointing to the sky. My heart leapt in my chest, as I knew I had found what I was looking for.



The humble Eski Cami was built in the early 15th century during the Ottoman Empire, and it truly is set apart from other mosques in Turkey by its distinctive calligraphy. I needed to see the Eski Camii in daylight, and I needed to sketch it.

calligraphy and geometry

As Edirne is a mere two hour drive from our doorstep, it seemed a perfect place for a weekend getaway. I've always been curious about Edirne— a Thracian city near the Greek and Bulgarian borders, once capitol of the Ottoman Empire before Constantinople, host to an annual oil-wrestling festival, and famous for its fried liver and fruit-shaped soaps (this last one baffles me).

Being a former capitol of the Ottoman Empire, the city boasts several stunning mosques, the most famous of which was built by Mimar Sinan himself (often referred to as the Michelangelo of the Ottomans): the Selimiye Camii. This, however, is the Üç Şerefeli Camii, a slightly smaller but no less grand mosque built in the 15th Century. What amazes me, is that as the Renaissance was raging in Europe, this was happening here:



While the human body was studied through to its bones and captured in all its glory by Renaissance artists, Muslim artists turned to the beauty of the written word and mathematics. Sentient beings were seldom represented in Islamic Art at the time, as it was believed by some that the depiction of sentient beings was a form of idolatry, though beautifully rendered humans and animals were brought to life in miniature paintings. Elegant calligraphy and dazzling geometric patterns flowed across the surfaces of mosques, while churches in Europe commissioned paintings and frescoes of Biblical figures to adorn their walls.

the yeni camii, in four photographs

As friends and fellow sketchers Lapin and Javier are in town, I've been spending my days in a fantastic frenzy of sketching and sight-seeing. One of our first stops was the Yeni Camii, or "New Mosque" which is as new as 1663, when its construction was completed. The Yeni Camii is that impressive, massive mosque in Eminönü, right next to the Spice Bazaar. This marvellous granite and marble structure is home to sixty-six domes and semi domes, two minarets and an enormous central dome with a ceiling of thirty-six meters in height. As you can imagine, it's not easy to draw.

calligraphy and tulips

After realising that I've been completely missing the giant outdoor ads in plain sight for the Annual Tulip Festival, I zipped over to Emirgan Park yesterday to check it out. It was the most beautiful spring day— the air full of bird song, with a deliciously warm sun hanging in the bluest sky. Emirgan Park is on the hill just before you reach the town of İstinye. It's a little hidden, you have to follow the brown signs that read Pembe Kösk and Sarı Kösk to get there. It's one of the most beautiful parks to spend an afternoon in, with plenty of paths to walk along, benches to read on, three outdoor cafés and a lovely pond complete with ducks and a waterfall.


After relaxing in the sun amongst the flowers, I visited the Sakıp Sabancı Museum (which is right at the bottom of the hill from the park) to see an exhibit of the first Western-style Turkish painters. It was an interesting collection, the work primarily influenced by the Impressionists, which fit the mood of the day perfectly.


The SSM was originally a mansion built in 1927 as a summer home for an Egyptian prince. It became known as the Atlı Köşk, or "Horse Mansion" for the horse statue in the front garden. Industrialist Hacı Ömer Sabancı purchased Atlı Köşk in 1950 and lived in it with his family until his death in 1966, when it was passed on to Sakıp Sabancı. The mansion housed a large collection of paintings and Ottoman calligraphy, and was given to Sabancı University in 1998 to be transformed into a museum.

The SSM opened to the public in 2002, and gained international acclaim in 2005 with new additions and exciting exhibitions. The first ever temporary exhibition of 135 never before shown Picasso paintings, Picasso in Istanbul, brought in more than 250,000 visitors. The second major exhibition at the museum was The Master Sculptor Rodin in İstanbul, which featured 203 pieces on loan from Musée Rodin in Paris— and with permission from the Musée Rodin, visually impaired people were invited to touch some of the sculptures. Labels were also printed in braille.

Before I was kindly reprimanded for snapping pictures, I managed to get a few shots of some fine examples of calligraphy. Having lived large portions of my life in Middle Eastern countries (by the way, Turkey is not in the Middle East as so many believe), I grew up with a fascination and love of Arabic script. In my opinion, no other script can match its flow and grace.