The Traces of Egyptian Revivalism in Istanbul

Mehmet Tanman; Müjde Dila Gümüş

Article Details

The Traces of Egyptian Revivalism in Istanbul

Authors:

Mehmet Tanman | Müjde Dila Gümüş

Publisher:

Ege University

Main Topics:

Mimarlık Tarihi | Sanat Tarihi

Journal:

Sanat Tarihi Dergisi Vol.33 Issue 2, pp.1075-1103

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001337676

pISSN:

1300-5707

Keywords:

Abstract:

 Egyptian revivalism is a style based on the reuse of forms from Ancient Egyptian art and architecture. The style became popular in the West in the nineteenth century and the first quarter of the twentieth century. During that period, Istanbuls cosmopolitan architectural environment was open to quickly embracing Western trends. This study focuses on the traces of Egyptian revivalism in the citys buildings, monuments, and tombsan area of research that has been largely overlooked and has not yet been the subject of a comprehensive study. Through the field studies conducted as part of our research, we were able to identify a collection of examples within the city. In addition to the formal analysis, the examples have been evaluated in the context of the environments to which their patrons and architects belonged in the scope of the article. Thus, it was aimed to contextualize designs featuring Egyptian revivalist influences within Istanbuls socio-cultural environment. The identified examples are categorized into two groups in the article. The first group constitutes examples where the style is reflected in architectural design. These include the Abbas Halim Paşa Harem Mansion in Heybeliada, the Muslim Cemetery gate in Heybeliada, the Panciris family tomb, as well as obelisk and pyramid-shaped monuments and tombs. Traces of Egyptian revivalism can also be followed in the majority of these examples decorative programs. In the second groups examples, various symbols from Ancient Egyptian culture have been used within an eclectic whole. These are mostly apartment buildings constructed during the first quarter of the twentieth century in Pera. The evaluation of the examples reveals that Egyptian revivalism influenced designs in Istanbul chronologically range from the declaration of the Tanzimat in 1839 to the 1920s. The style was introduced to Istanbul as part of the modernization efforts during the reign of Sultan Abdülmecid. The first examples of this style were implemented in monuments and tombs constructed by the allied countries during the Crimean War in the 1850s. These early examples were followed by obelisk-shaped tombstones and gravestones commissioned by numerous local patrons, both Muslim and non-Muslim, which continued to appear until the mid-twentieth century. Gaspare Fossati, Carlo Giovanni Battista Marochetti, Alexander Vallaury, and probably Vedad Tek Bey are detected among the designers of the obelisk formed statuestombs in Istanbul. The examples that are entirely in the Egyptian revivalist style, from design to decorative program, belong to individuals with direct connections to Egypt, such as members of the Khedive family and the Greek Panciris family originated from Alexandria. These works, which required a certain level of visual knowledge of Egyptian culture, were designed by the renowned architects of the period, Hovsep Aznavur and Perikles Fotiadis. The patrons of the designs incorporating references to Egyptian culture within an eclectic whole are highly diverse. Two of the identified architects are Kyrikiades and Yenidünya. Among the patrons of the works discussed in this group are Selim Hannah Frej, the Ravuna family, Servet Paşa, Achilles Papadopoulos, and Mikhail Svoronos, none of whom were found to have any direct connection to Egypt. It appears more accurate to attribute these examples to random selections within an eclectic approach rather than to a direct interest in Egyptian culture.

 Egyptian revivalism is a style based on the reuse of forms from Ancient Egyptian art and architecture. The style became popular in the West in the nineteenth century and the first quarter of the twentieth century. During that period, Istanbuls cosmopolitan architectural environment was open to quickly embracing Western trends. This study focuses on the traces of Egyptian revivalism in the citys buildings, monuments, and tombsan area of research that has been largely overlooked and has not yet been the subject of a comprehensive study. Through the field studies conducted as part of our research, we were able to identify a collection of examples within the city. In addition to the formal analysis, the examples have been evaluated in the context of the environments to which their patrons and architects belonged in the scope of the article. Thus, it was aimed to contextualize designs featuring Egyptian revivalist influences within Istanbuls socio-cultural environment. The identified examples are categorized into two groups in the article. The first group constitutes examples where the style is reflected in architectural design. These include the Abbas Halim Paşa Harem Mansion in Heybeliada, the Muslim Cemetery gate in Heybeliada, the Panciris family tomb, as well as obelisk and pyramid-shaped monuments and tombs. Traces of Egyptian revivalism can also be followed in the majority of these examples decorative programs. In the second groups examples, various symbols from Ancient Egyptian culture have been used within an eclectic whole. These are mostly apartment buildings constructed during the first quarter of the twentieth century in Pera. The evaluation of the examples reveals that Egyptian revivalism influenced designs in Istanbul chronologically range from the declaration of the Tanzimat in 1839 to the 1920s. The style was introduced to Istanbul as part of the modernization efforts during the reign of Sultan Abdülmecid. The first examples of this style were implemented in monuments and tombs constructed by the allied countries during the Crimean War in the 1850s. These early examples were followed by obelisk-shaped tombstones and gravestones commissioned by numerous local patrons, both Muslim and non-Muslim, which continued to appear until the mid-twentieth century. Gaspare Fossati, Carlo Giovanni Battista Marochetti, Alexander Vallaury, and probably Vedad Tek Bey are detected among the designers of the obelisk formed statuestombs in Istanbul. The examples that are entirely in the Egyptian revivalist style, from design to decorative program, belong to individuals with direct connections to Egypt, such as members of the Khedive family and the Greek Panciris family originated from Alexandria. These works, which required a certain level of visual knowledge of Egyptian culture, were designed by the renowned architects of the period, Hovsep Aznavur and Perikles Fotiadis. The patrons of the designs incorporating references to Egyptian culture within an eclectic whole are highly diverse. Two of the identified architects are Kyrikiades and Yenidünya. Among the patrons of the works discussed in this group are Selim Hannah Frej, the Ravuna family, Servet Paşa, Achilles Papadopoulos, and Mikhail Svoronos, none of whom were found to have any direct connection to Egypt. It appears more accurate to attribute these examples to random selections within an eclectic approach rather than to a direct interest in Egyptian culture.

 Egyptian revivalism is a style based on the reuse of forms from Ancient Egyptian art and architecture. The style became popular in the West in the nineteenth century and the first quarter of the twentieth century. During that period, Istanbuls cosmopolitan architectural environment was open to quickly embracing Western trends. This study focuses on the traces of Egyptian revivalism in the citys buildings, monuments, and tombsan area of research that has been largely overlooked and has not yet been the subject of a comprehensive study. Through the field studies conducted as part of our research, we were able to identify a collection of examples within the city. In addition to the formal analysis, the examples have been evaluated in the context of the environments to which their patrons and architects belonged in the scope of the article. Thus, it was aimed to contextualize designs featuring Egyptian revivalist influences within Istanbuls socio-cultural environment. The identified examples are categorized into two groups in the article. The first group constitutes examples where the style is reflected in architectural design. These include the Abbas Halim Paşa Harem Mansion in Heybeliada, the Muslim Cemetery gate in Heybeliada, the Panciris family tomb, as well as obelisk and pyramid-shaped monuments and tombs. Traces of Egyptian revivalism can also be followed in the majority of these examples decorative programs. In the second groups examples, various symbols from Ancient Egyptian culture have been used within an eclectic whole. These are mostly apartment buildings constructed during the first quarter of the twentieth century in Pera. The evaluation of the examples reveals that Egyptian revivalism influenced designs in Istanbul chronologically range from the declaration of the Tanzimat in 1839 to the 1920s. The style was introduced to Istanbul as part of the modernization efforts during the reign of Sultan Abdülmecid. The first examples of this style were implemented in monuments and tombs constructed by the allied countries during the Crimean War in the 1850s. These early examples were followed by obelisk-shaped tombstones and gravestones commissioned by numerous local patrons, both Muslim and non-Muslim, which continued to appear until the mid-twentieth century. Gaspare Fossati, Carlo Giovanni Battista Marochetti, Alexander Vallaury, and probably Vedad Tek Bey are detected among the designers of the obelisk formed statuestombs in Istanbul. The examples that are entirely in the Egyptian revivalist style, from design to decorative program, belong to individuals with direct connections to Egypt, such as members of the Khedive family and the Greek Panciris family originated from Alexandria. These works, which required a certain level of visual knowledge of Egyptian culture, were designed by the renowned architects of the period, Hovsep Aznavur and Perikles Fotiadis. The patrons of the designs incorporating references to Egyptian culture within an eclectic whole are highly diverse. Two of the identified architects are Kyrikiades and Yenidünya. Among the patrons of the works discussed in this group are Selim Hannah Frej, the Ravuna family, Servet Paşa, Achilles Papadopoulos, and Mikhail Svoronos, none of whom were found to have any direct connection to Egypt. It appears more accurate to attribute these examples to random selections within an eclectic approach rather than to a direct interest in Egyptian culture.

 Neo-Mısır Egyptian revival, Eski Mısır sanatı ve mimarlığına ait biçimlerin yeniden kullanılmasına dayanan, on dokuzuncu yüzyılda ve yirminci yüzyılın ilk çeyreğinde Batıda popüler olmuş canlandırmacı bir üsluptur. İstanbulun söz konusu dönemdeki kozmopolit mimarlık ortamı, Batıdaki modaları hızlıca benimsemeye açıktı. Bu makale, İstanbulda yapı, anıt ve mezar tasarımlarında Neo-Mısır üslubunun izlerine odaklanmaktadır. Saha çalışmaları sonucunda tespit edilen tespit edilen örnekler iki grupta ele alınmıştır. İlk grubu, üslubun mimari tasarıma yansıdığı örnekler meydana getirir. Bunlar arasında Heybeliada Abbas Halim Paşa köşklerinden harem köşkü, Heybeliada Müslüman Mezarlığı kapısı, Panciris anıt mezarı, obelisk ve piramit biçimli anıtlar-mezarlar bulunmaktadır. Söz konusu örneklerin büyük bölümünde Neo-Mısır izleri süsleme programında da takip edilebilmektedir. İkinci grupta ise eklektik bir bütün içerisinde Eski Mısır kültürüne ait sembollerinin kullanılmış olduğu eserler bulunur. Bunlar çok büyük ölçüde 20. yüzyılın ilk çeyreğinde Perada inşa edilmiş apartmanlardır. Makalede incelenen eserler, biçim analizlerinin yanı sıra, banileri ile mimarlarının ait oldukları çevreler bağlamında da değerlendirilmiştir. Böylece, Neo-Mısır etkiler görülen tasarımların İstanbulun sosyokültürel ortamında konumlandırmaları amaçlanmıştır.

Article Details

The Traces of Egyptian Revivalism in Istanbul

Authors:

Mehmet Tanman | Müjde Dila Gümüş

Publisher:

Ege University

Main Topics:

Mimarlık Tarihi | Sanat Tarihi

Journal:

Sanat Tarihi Dergisi Vol.33 Issue 2, pp.1075-1103

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001337676

pISSN:

1300-5707

Egyptian revivalism

Istanbul

late Ottoman architecture

monuments

eclecticismNeo-Mısır

İstanbul

geç dönem Osmanlı mimarisi

anıtlar

eklektisizm

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Mehmet Tanman | Müjde Dila Gümüş

Publisher: Ege University

Main Topics: Mimarlık Tarihi | Sanat Tarihi

Journal: Sanat Tarihi Dergisi Vol.33 Issue 2, pp.1075-1103

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 12/2024

Document Language: Turkish

Document ID (Org No.): 2001337676

pISSN: 1300-5707

Issues

Authors:

Mehmet Tanman | Müjde Dila Gümüş

Publisher:

Ege University

Main Topics:

Mimarlık Tarihi | Sanat Tarihi

Journal:

Sanat Tarihi Dergisi Vol.33 Issue 2, pp.1075-1103

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

12/2024

Document Language:

Turkish

Document ID (Org No.):

2001337676

pISSN:

1300-5707