Soul is a Bird, Body is a Cage: Death Metaphor in the Ottoman Funerary Architecture

Mustafa Çağhan Keskin

Article Details

Soul is a Bird, Body is a Cage: Death Metaphor in the Ottoman Funerary Architecture

Authors:

Mustafa Çağhan Keskin

Publisher:

Ege University

Main Topics:

Mimarlık Tarihi | Sanat Tarihi

Journal:

Sanat Tarihi Dergisi Vol.33 Issue 1, pp.361-393

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

8/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001325345

pISSN:

1300-5707

Keywords:

Abstract:

 From the mid-17th century onwards, traditional Ottoman tombs covered with domes were not preferred anymore for a while, and iron cages began to replace domes in burial architecture. In fact, these iron cages even took the place of traditional tombs, enclosing graves directly within a cage, creating what can be referred to as cage tombs. Essentially, these open tombs were preferred due to the belief being popular with impact of the Kadızadeli Movement among the royal elite and Ottoman society during 17th century that monumental burial structures, which sanctify the deceased, are not in accordance with Islamic principles. Visually, these open tombs bear a resemblance to large-scale birdcages, drawing direct design inspiration from bird cages. Turkish poet and novelist Ahmed Hamdi Tanpınar, in his famous romantic essay Beş Şehir Five Cities, describes the tomb of Gülnuş Emetullah Valide Sultan, wife of Sultan Mehmed IV, and the mother of Sultan Mustafa II and Ahmed III in Üsküdar, covered with an iron cage, as a colossal, gigantic birdcage. The symbolic basis of the design is rooted in a traditional death metaphor found both in Turkish and Islamic culture, mythology, Sufism, and literature. This enduring metaphor imagines the human body as a cage and the soul as a bird, interpreting death as the departure of the bird, the soul, from its cage, the body. The inspiration of cage tombs from bird cages is also emphasized through the inscriptions of several tombs or graves. For instance, the remarkable Turkish verse found in the iron cage tomb of the Çifte Sultanlar Double Sultans who believed to be the daughters of Husayn ibn Ali located in the courtyard of Sünbül Efendi Mosque in Istanbul, Kafes yâhut tehîdir sanma etrâfında bu câyın  Müşebbek âşiyân-ı tûtiyân-ı bâğ-ı cennettir Do not think of this place as an empty cage; this place, carved like a cage, is the intertwined nests of the parrots of the garden of paradise announces the transfer of the death metaphor that inspired the design through cage tombs to funerary architecture. One of the strongest examples where the metaphor of death is most strongly expressed is the open tomb and the mosque adorned with birdhouses, apparently inspired by Gülnuş Emetullah Valide Sultans gigantic birdcage. It can be said that it is the most powerful example of the symbolic design approach that deals with the body-cage, soul-bird allegory. This design approach, where meaning or function is directly presented through a sculpted, symbolic form, and where the structural meaning is established through that image by embedding architectural design into an icon, appeals to the involuntary interest people have in a larger or smaller replica of an object they are familiar with. This study aims to discuss the representation of this traditional metaphor in tomb architecture by defining the soul as a bird and the body as a cage, symbolizing death as the departure of the bird from its cage.

 From the mid-17th century onwards, traditional Ottoman tombs covered with domes were not preferred anymore for a while, and iron cages began to replace domes in burial architecture. In fact, these iron cages even took the place of traditional tombs, enclosing graves directly within a cage, creating what can be referred to as cage tombs. Essentially, these open tombs were preferred due to the belief being popular with impact of the Kadızadeli Movement among the royal elite and Ottoman society during 17th century that monumental burial structures, which sanctify the deceased, are not in accordance with Islamic principles. Visually, these open tombs bear a resemblance to large-scale birdcages, drawing direct design inspiration from bird cages. Turkish poet and novelist Ahmed Hamdi Tanpınar, in his famous romantic essay Beş Şehir Five Cities, describes the tomb of Gülnuş Emetullah Valide Sultan, wife of Sultan Mehmed IV, and the mother of Sultan Mustafa II and Ahmed III in Üsküdar, covered with an iron cage, as a colossal, gigantic birdcage. The symbolic basis of the design is rooted in a traditional death metaphor found both in Turkish and Islamic culture, mythology, Sufism, and literature. This enduring metaphor imagines the human body as a cage and the soul as a bird, interpreting death as the departure of the bird, the soul, from its cage, the body. The inspiration of cage tombs from bird cages is also emphasized through the inscriptions of several tombs or graves. For instance, the remarkable Turkish verse found in the iron cage tomb of the Çifte Sultanlar Double Sultans who believed to be the daughters of Husayn ibn Ali located in the courtyard of Sünbül Efendi Mosque in Istanbul, Kafes yâhut tehîdir sanma etrâfında bu câyın  Müşebbek âşiyân-ı tûtiyân-ı bâğ-ı cennettir Do not think of this place as an empty cage; this place, carved like a cage, is the intertwined nests of the parrots of the garden of paradise announces the transfer of the death metaphor that inspired the design through cage tombs to funerary architecture. One of the strongest examples where the metaphor of death is most strongly expressed is the open tomb and the mosque adorned with birdhouses, apparently inspired by Gülnuş Emetullah Valide Sultans gigantic birdcage. It can be said that it is the most powerful example of the symbolic design approach that deals with the body-cage, soul-bird allegory. This design approach, where meaning or function is directly presented through a sculpted, symbolic form, and where the structural meaning is established through that image by embedding architectural design into an icon, appeals to the involuntary interest people have in a larger or smaller replica of an object they are familiar with. This study aims to discuss the representation of this traditional metaphor in tomb architecture by defining the soul as a bird and the body as a cage, symbolizing death as the departure of the bird from its cage.

 From the mid-17th century onwards, traditional Ottoman tombs covered with domes were not preferred anymore for a while, and iron cages began to replace domes in burial architecture. In fact, these iron cages even took the place of traditional tombs, enclosing graves directly within a cage, creating what can be referred to as cage tombs. Essentially, these open tombs were preferred due to the belief being popular with impact of the Kadızadeli Movement among the royal elite and Ottoman society during 17th century that monumental burial structures, which sanctify the deceased, are not in accordance with Islamic principles. Visually, these open tombs bear a resemblance to large-scale birdcages, drawing direct design inspiration from bird cages. Turkish poet and novelist Ahmed Hamdi Tanpınar, in his famous romantic essay Beş Şehir Five Cities, describes the tomb of Gülnuş Emetullah Valide Sultan, wife of Sultan Mehmed IV, and the mother of Sultan Mustafa II and Ahmed III in Üsküdar, covered with an iron cage, as a colossal, gigantic birdcage. The symbolic basis of the design is rooted in a traditional death metaphor found both in Turkish and Islamic culture, mythology, Sufism, and literature. This enduring metaphor imagines the human body as a cage and the soul as a bird, interpreting death as the departure of the bird, the soul, from its cage, the body. The inspiration of cage tombs from bird cages is also emphasized through the inscriptions of several tombs or graves. For instance, the remarkable Turkish verse found in the iron cage tomb of the Çifte Sultanlar Double Sultans who believed to be the daughters of Husayn ibn Ali located in the courtyard of Sünbül Efendi Mosque in Istanbul, Kafes yâhut tehîdir sanma etrâfında bu câyın  Müşebbek âşiyân-ı tûtiyân-ı bâğ-ı cennettir Do not think of this place as an empty cage; this place, carved like a cage, is the intertwined nests of the parrots of the garden of paradise announces the transfer of the death metaphor that inspired the design through cage tombs to funerary architecture. One of the strongest examples where the metaphor of death is most strongly expressed is the open tomb and the mosque adorned with birdhouses, apparently inspired by Gülnuş Emetullah Valide Sultans gigantic birdcage. It can be said that it is the most powerful example of the symbolic design approach that deals with the body-cage, soul-bird allegory. This design approach, where meaning or function is directly presented through a sculpted, symbolic form, and where the structural meaning is established through that image by embedding architectural design into an icon, appeals to the involuntary interest people have in a larger or smaller replica of an object they are familiar with. This study aims to discuss the representation of this traditional metaphor in tomb architecture by defining the soul as a bird and the body as a cage, symbolizing death as the departure of the bird from its cage.

 XVII. yüzyıl ortalarından itibaren Osmanlı gömüt mimarisinde kubbe ile örtülü geleneksel türbeler terk edilirken, kubbenin yerini demir kafesler, hatta türbelerin yerini doğrudan kafes içine alınmış kabirler, diğer bir deyişle kafes türbeler almaya başlamıştır. Özünde, ölüye kutsiyet atayarak kültleştiren anıtsal mezar yapılarının İslam anlayışına uygun olmadığı yönündeki görüşler çerçevesinde tercih edilen söz konusu türbeler görünüş itibariyle devasa kuş kafeslerini andırmakta, tasarım ilhamını doğrudan kuş kafeslerinden almaktadır. Nitekim, Ahmed Hamdi Tanpınar, romantik bir tavırla kaleme aldığı Beş Şehir adlı gezi dizisinde demir kafesle örtülü açık türbelerin en nitelikli örneği olan Üsküdarda bulunan Gülnuş Emetullah Valide Sultan Türbesini devasa bir kuş kafesi olarak tanımlar. Tasarımın sembolik dayanağı, Türk ve İslam kültüründe mitoloji, tasavvuf ve edebiyatta çeşitli referansları bulunan, halk arasında popülerliğini hiç kaybetmeyen bedenin bir kafes, ruhun ise kuş olarak imgeleştirildiği, ölümün kuşun yani ruhun bedeni yani kafesi terk edişi olarak yorumlayan geleneksel ölüm metaforudur. Bu çalışma, ruhu kuş, bedeni ise kafes tanımlayarak ölümü kuşun kafesi terk etmesi şeklinde somutlayan geleneksel metaforun türbe mimarisinde temsilini tartışmayı amaçlar.

Article Details

Soul is a Bird, Body is a Cage: Death Metaphor in the Ottoman Funerary Architecture

Authors:

Mustafa Çağhan Keskin

Publisher:

Ege University

Main Topics:

Mimarlık Tarihi | Sanat Tarihi

Journal:

Sanat Tarihi Dergisi Vol.33 Issue 1, pp.361-393

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

8/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001325345

pISSN:

1300-5707

Ottoman Architecture

İstanbul

Tombs

Death

Death Architeture

Funerary Architectureosmanlı mimarlığı

istanbul

türbe

ölüm

ölüm mimarlığı

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Mustafa Çağhan Keskin

Publisher: Ege University

Main Topics: Mimarlık Tarihi | Sanat Tarihi

Journal: Sanat Tarihi Dergisi Vol.33 Issue 1, pp.361-393

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 8/2024

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001325345

pISSN: 1300-5707

Issues

Authors:

Mustafa Çağhan Keskin

Publisher:

Ege University

Main Topics:

Mimarlık Tarihi | Sanat Tarihi

Journal:

Sanat Tarihi Dergisi Vol.33 Issue 1, pp.361-393

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

8/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001325345

pISSN:

1300-5707