Inscriptions Commisioned by Abdulhamid II on the Occasion of the Anniversary of His Accession of the Throne

Abstract

The reign of Sultan Abdulhamid II was a period in which relations with foreign countries developed culturally and socially, and the perception of modernization was shaped in regard to the sultan. Although it can be observed that Westernization has penetrated every facet of society, it is seen that the art of calligraphy has been conserved. During his reign, the forgotten Kufic script was revived and its use in inscriptions began to increase. The types of scripts used in the inscriptions vary depending on the period of the text and its context. During the Ottoman period, jeli thuluth, and later on the jali ta’lik scripts were commonly used. Although in small quantity, it is possible to encounter inscriptions with muhakkak, rik’a, naskh, and Kufic scripts. While there were inscriptions in buildings such as mosques, madrasahs, schools, libraries, and fountains in Turkish Islamic architecture until the 19^th century, it is distinguished that at the beginning of the 20^th century with the change of building categories (clock tower, monument, pier, train station), there were changes in the content of the inscriptions, types of script, and the reasons to write. Today, information about the different eras is obtained by examining the written sources and inscriptions in detail. There are many buildings built during the reign of Abdulhamid II. Inscriptions carry an important value regarding aesthetics and history and this can be observed at all levels. The accession to the throne ceremonies (Cülus), mentioned in the Ottoman Empire generally took place during the transition of princes to the throne and notably, the ceremonies during the Abdulhamid II era are significant. The 25^th accession to the throne ceremony of the sultan differs considerably according to the content and scope of the other accession to the throne ceremonies. In this study, the location of the inscriptions detailing throne ascension ceremonies (a topic that had recently been inscribed on inscriptions for various new reasons) in the Ottoman Empire, on which types of structures they are located in, similar or different aspects of the texts on those inscriptions and the artists who inscribed them, if any, will be discussed.