Coins Depicting Figures in the Cross-Legged Position In Medieval Turkish-Islamic States

Emre Günay; Mesut Gül

Makale detayları

Coins Depicting Figures in the Cross-Legged Position In Medieval Turkish-Islamic States

Yazarlar:

Emre Günay | Mesut Gül

Yayıncı:

Fırat University

Ana Başlıklar:

Nümizmatik | Türk-İslam Sanatları Tarihi

Dergi:

Fırat Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Vol.35 Issue 1, pp.107-121

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

1/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001338746

pISSN:

1300-9702

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 In medieval Turkish-Islamic states, one of the first actions taken by rulers after ascending to the throne and having their name mentioned in the Friday sermon khutbah was the minting of coins. The act of minting coins was a significant material symbol in affirming the legitimacy of the ruler. While this action has a functional and material dimension, its symbolic significance should not be overlooked. When examining the coins of medieval Turkish-Islamic states, it is possible to argue that coins depicting figures in the cross-legged position form one of the most symbolically significant groups. These coins, which represent a special category among the coins minted by medieval Turkish-Islamic states, can be found in the coinage of the Anatolian Seljuks, Artuqids, Zengids, Begteginids, Ayyubids, and the rulers of Mosul. The decorations on these coins generally consist of political, religious, cosmological, and astrological symbols. It is plausible to suggest that these ornaments developed under the influence of Central Asian Turkish traditions and the political mentality of the Middle Ages. A striking feature of the decorations is the stylistic similarity between the compositions, which exhibit largely analogous stylistic characteristics. The widespread minting of these coins with a similar typology by different Turkish states across a vast geographical area in the 12th and 13th centuries suggests the influence of a shared ethno-cultural environment.

 In medieval Turkish-Islamic states, one of the first actions taken by rulers after ascending to the throne and having their name mentioned in the Friday sermon khutbah was the minting of coins. The act of minting coins was a significant material symbol in affirming the legitimacy of the ruler. While this action has a functional and material dimension, its symbolic significance should not be overlooked. When examining the coins of medieval Turkish-Islamic states, it is possible to argue that coins depicting figures in the cross-legged position form one of the most symbolically significant groups. These coins, which represent a special category among the coins minted by medieval Turkish-Islamic states, can be found in the coinage of the Anatolian Seljuks, Artuqids, Zengids, Begteginids, Ayyubids, and the rulers of Mosul. The decorations on these coins generally consist of political, religious, cosmological, and astrological symbols. It is plausible to suggest that these ornaments developed under the influence of Central Asian Turkish traditions and the political mentality of the Middle Ages. A striking feature of the decorations is the stylistic similarity between the compositions, which exhibit largely analogous stylistic characteristics. The widespread minting of these coins with a similar typology by different Turkish states across a vast geographical area in the 12th and 13th centuries suggests the influence of a shared ethno-cultural environment.

 In medieval Turkish-Islamic states, one of the first actions taken by rulers after ascending to the throne and having their name mentioned in the Friday sermon khutbah was the minting of coins. The act of minting coins was a significant material symbol in affirming the legitimacy of the ruler. While this action has a functional and material dimension, its symbolic significance should not be overlooked. When examining the coins of medieval Turkish-Islamic states, it is possible to argue that coins depicting figures in the cross-legged position form one of the most symbolically significant groups. These coins, which represent a special category among the coins minted by medieval Turkish-Islamic states, can be found in the coinage of the Anatolian Seljuks, Artuqids, Zengids, Begteginids, Ayyubids, and the rulers of Mosul. The decorations on these coins generally consist of political, religious, cosmological, and astrological symbols. It is plausible to suggest that these ornaments developed under the influence of Central Asian Turkish traditions and the political mentality of the Middle Ages. A striking feature of the decorations is the stylistic similarity between the compositions, which exhibit largely analogous stylistic characteristics. The widespread minting of these coins with a similar typology by different Turkish states across a vast geographical area in the 12th and 13th centuries suggests the influence of a shared ethno-cultural environment.

 Ortaçağ Türk-İslam devletlerinde tahta çıkan hükümdarların hutbeden sonra ilk işi, sikke bastırmak olmuştur. Sikke darp ettirme hükümdarlığın tescil edilmesinde oldukça etkin olan maddi bir alamettir. Her ne kadar işlevsel olarak maddi boyutlu bir alamet gibiyse de sikkenin sembolik boyutunu göz ardı etmemek gerekir. Ortaçağ Türk-İslam devletlerinin sikkelerine bakıldığında simgesel açıdan anlam yüklü en önemli grubu bağdaş şemalı sikkelerin oluşturduğunu söylemek mümkündür. Ortaçağ Türk-İslam devletlerinin bastırdığı sikkeler içerisinde özel bir grubu temsil eden bağdaş kurmuş insan tasvirli sikkelerin kullanımına; Anadolu Selçuklu, Artuklu, Zengi, Begteginli ve Eyyübi devletleri ile Musul hükümdarlığında rastlanmaktadır. Sikkelerin üzerinde yer alan süslemeler, genel itibariyle siyasi, dini, kozmolojik ve astrolojik semboller taşıyan bezeme ögelerinden oluşmaktadır. Sikkelerdeki bu tezyinlerin Orta Asya Türk geleneklerinin ve Ortaçağın politik anlayışının etkisinde geliştiğini belirtmek mümkündür. Süslemelerde dikkat çeken unsur kompozisyonların büyük oranda birbirine benzer üslup özelliklerine sahip olmasıdır. Yakın bir tipolojiye sahip bu sikkelerin 12. ve 13. yüzyıllarda geniş bir coğrafyada farklı Türk devletleri tarafından basılmasında etno-kültürel ortamın etkili olduğu düşünülmektedir.

Makale detayları

Coins Depicting Figures in the Cross-Legged Position In Medieval Turkish-Islamic States

Yazarlar:

Emre Günay | Mesut Gül

Yayıncı:

Fırat University

Ana Başlıklar:

Nümizmatik | Türk-İslam Sanatları Tarihi

Dergi:

Fırat Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Vol.35 Issue 1, pp.107-121

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

1/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001338746

pISSN:

1300-9702

Turkish-Islamic

coin

Middle ages

cross-legged sitting

depictionOrtaçağ

Türk-islam

Sikke

Bağdaş Oturma

TASVİR

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Emre Günay | Mesut Gül

Yayıncı: Fırat University

Ana Başlıklar: Nümizmatik | Türk-İslam Sanatları Tarihi

Dergi: Fırat Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Vol.35 Issue 1, pp.107-121

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 1/2025

Belge Dili: Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.): 2001338746

pISSN: 1300-9702

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Emre Günay | Mesut Gül

Yayıncı:

Fırat University

Ana Başlıklar:

Nümizmatik | Türk-İslam Sanatları Tarihi

Dergi:

Fırat Üniversitesi Sosyal Bilimler Dergisi Vol.35 Issue 1, pp.107-121

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

1/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001338746

pISSN:

1300-9702