Oyster Motif in the Midlle Age Turkish Architecture in Terms of Iconography

Abstract

It is well known that the oyster motif, which has been seen in the art of many countries in the ancient times, often symbolizes the "rebirth and second life". In this article, the oyster motifs in the Central Asian Turkish Art, under the influence of different beliefs such as the "Sky God" and "Buddhism", is discussed and whether the Turks, increasingly adopting Islam beginning with the Xth century, used the oyster motif in their architectural works in Anatolia, is inquired. Also, in this study, the structures where the oyster motif was used in Anatolia in the Middle Age, under the reign of the Seljuk State and the Principalities, are determined, and the symbolic meanings within Islamic belief of the oyster-shaped elements of transition to domes and the similar and different aspects of corresponding symbolic meanings in other cultures are discussed.