This rectangular tile depicts a stylized birds-eye view of the Ka‘ba in Mecca, view of the Holy Mosque with the black cubicle of the Ka‘ba in the centre follows an artistic tradition known from works on paper.
AKM587, Ka‘ba Tile

© The Aga Khan Museum

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On Display
Ka‘ba Tile
  • Accession Number:AKM587
  • Place:Turkey, Probably Iznik
  • Dimensions:52 x 32 cm
  • Date:ca. 1640–43
  • Materials and Technique:stonepaste; slip and polychrome painted under transparent glaze
  • This rectangular tile depicts a stylized view of the Ka‘ba in Mecca, the holiest of sites to which each devout Muslim should make a pilgrimage (called a Hajj) once in their lifetime, if they are able to do so. Atop this tile, the Sura al-‘Imran 3:96–97 identifies the pilgrimage as the duty for Muslims: “The first House [of worship] to be established for people was that at Bakka [Mecca]. It is a blessed place; a source of guidance for all people; there are clear signs in it; it is the place where Abraham stood to pray; whoever enters it is safe. Pilgrimage to the House is a duty owed to God by people who are able to undertake it.” This Sura is commonly used to begin pilgrimage manuals. [1]

Further Reading

 

The tile depicts the black-shrouded Ka‘ba in the centre of the Masjid al-Haram or Holy Mosque and other buildings within and around the holy sanctuary. Mecca imagery became increasingly popular in 16th- and 17th-century Ottoman art. From there, it spread across the Islamic world and through various media, from Hajj certificates or scrolls on paper to Futuh al-Haramayn and pilgrimage guides; from prayer books to talismanic shirts; and from carpets to wall paintings. However, its appearance on larger tile panels or individual tiles, such as this one, is unique to Ottoman ceramic workshops, where they were produced from approximately 1640 until 1760. [2] The corpus of about 50 known examples can be divided into various groups. This tile belongs to the earliest group, which was probably introduced at Iznik in the early 1640s, [3] as is suggested by the patron’s name Tabakzade Mehmet Bey a merchant from Iznik inscribed on a larger tile panel in the Aya Sofya Museum, Istanbul, dated 1643. [4]

 

In the first half of the 17th century, economic difficulties and the decrease of court commissions for tiles to cover larger architectural surfaces—in addition to rivalry between Kütahya and Iznik and the imposition of formal restrictions upon ceramic workshops by the Ottoman court—created a challenging and complicated life for the potters. Iznik ceramic production gradually declined. [5] The ceramists were searching for solutions. These included developing new motifs and ceramic genres with commercial appeal that would be suitable for non-court production. Mecca and Medina tiles such as this one, were among the successful novelties, which eventually also were commissioned by the Ottoman court.

 

The two-dimensional bird’s-eye view of the Holy Mosque with the black cubicle of the Ka‘ba in the centre follows an artistic tradition known from works on paper. It is rooted in medieval and early Ottoman Hajj certificates and was particularly developed in 16th-century Ottoman pilgrimage guides, such as the Futuh al-Haramayn, which may have been the source for this tile and others of its group. [6] As in the manuscripts, the sanctuary area dominates the view. The black shrouded Ka‘ba rests at the centre like a magnet and around which everything is concentrically arranged, evoking the pilgrims’ circumambulation or devotional walk around the holy Ka‘ba. Inscribed key details include the Black Stone “Hajar Aswad” in the lower left corner of the Ka‘ba; the “altın oluk” (in Ottoman) at the place of the golden water spout (however, here in red) on the roof; and to the left, the semi-circular wall enclosing an area of special sanctity, the Hijr ‘Isma’il, marking the burial place of Isma’il and Hagar.

 

Counter-clockwise around the Ka‘ba are the four legal schools of Islam, each with a pavilion or maqam: hanafi with two storeys (right), maliki (up), hanbali, and Shafi‘ (left); the maqam ‘Ibrahim, with an orthogonal grid commemorating the stone where Abraham stood when building the Ka‘ba; the minbar or pulpit; the gate Taq (“arch”) providing access to the hatim area; and the staircase. In the foreground are the two buildings with a triangular roof, known to be domed storehouses—Qubba ‘Abbas for drinking water, and Qubba Farash for carpets, lamps, and other goods. Also depicted are several gates (babs) inscribed along the porticos, including ‘Umra, Suleymaniye, Hud, Dawudiya, Ibrahim, ‘Arus, Wida’, Bazar, ‘Ali, Safa, Nabi, Fatima, Khadija, ‘Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthman. Outside the mosque’s walls on the left side are the madrasa Sulaymaniye (below, marked with three higher domes) and Dawudiya (above, as two adjacent squares).

 

Various functions have been associated with Ka‘ba tiles, and depending on spatial context and epigraphic content, their functions change.[7] It is possible that, similar to examples still in situ, this tile was once inserted near or in the qibla (direction of prayer to Mecca) wall of a public mosque or other prayer room.[8] With the arabesque tympanum crowning the rectangular Haram area, the design of the first group of Mecca tiles evocates a niche, and thus could function like a prayer niche.

 

In a time before photography, this image, even though very stylized, conveyed an impression of the Ka‘ba, and served as a visual reminder and symbol of the house of God on earth. Similar to an educational tool, the inscriptions on key buildings and details around the Ka‘ba indicated certain features and stops of the Hajj pilgrimage.

 

— Deniz Beyazit


Notes
[1] See Martin 1987, 338.
[2] They were produced from ca. 1640 until ca. 1760 in Ottoman kilns at Iznik, Kütahya, Tekfursarayi (Istanbul), and probably also in Ottoman provinces further away from the capital, such as Egypt. The latest example is a 19th-century panel mounted next to the mihrab niche in the Great Mosque of Kütahya. A recent study on the Ka‘ba/Mecca and Medina tiles is Maury 2013, 143–59. For earlier studies, see Erdmann 1959, 192–97; Erken 1971, 297–338.
[3] See group A and panel related to A, in Maury 2013, 144, 154–55. Two are dated; one 1050H./1640 was seen on the art market in 1952, and was illustrated in Erken 1971, 298–99, fig. 1 and 2. The other, 1053H./1643, is a larger tile panel in the Aya Sofya Museum in Istanbul. The consistency in style and composition (and for certain pieces in size) of the known examples indicate that they were probably all made around the 1640s.
[4] This tile compares closest to the Aya Sofya example for using a similar palette: a turquoise outer border with cresting palmette band, but plain on the edges and upper corners; and cobalt blue for the crowning tympanum with arabesque pattern, probably inspired by highly stylized Chinese cloud-bands. All are on a ground left white (slip paint), with only a few details in red slip-paint to mark colourful accents. However, the light blue ground of the keyhole area around the Ka‘ba recalls the example in the Victoria & Albert Museum, London.
[5] Atasoy and Raby 1989, 63, 273–85; Bilgi 2009, 32. Erken 1971, 297; and Maury 2013, 153 believe that the introduction of Ka‘ba depictions on tiles results from an edict issued by the Ottoman Sultan Ahmed in 1610, which prohibits the depiction of Ka‘ba on carpets or mihrab-niche design, as well as calligraphy on carpets and prayer rugs, and selling these textiles to non-Muslims. (Non-Muslims would likely use such rugs with religious compositions and step on them.) For the edict, see Refik 1931, 43–4.
[6] Maury 2013, 144. For Futuh al-Haramayn, see Milstein 2006, 164–99; for Hajj certificates, see references in AKM529.
[7] For a full discussion, see Maury 2013, 143–59.
[8] According Maury 2013, 152, all known examples are located on the qibla wall and usually nearby the mihrab. However, in the Hekimoğlu Mosque, Istanbul, the Mecca tile panel is on the west wall that is perpendicular to the qibla-wall, though still nearby the mihrab.


References
Aga Khan Trust for Culture. Architecture in Islamic Arts: Treasures of the Aga Khan Museum. Geneva: Aga Khan Trust for Culture, 2011. ISBN: 9780987846303
---. Masterpieces of Islamic Art: Treasures of the Aga Khan Museum. Geneva: Aga Khan Trust for Culture, 2010. ISBN: 9783894796037
---. Spirit & Life: Masterpieces of Islamic Art from the Aga Khan Museum Collection. Geneva: Aga Khan Trust for Culture, 2007.ISBN: 9782940212022
---. Splendori a Corte, Arti del Mondo Islamico dalle collezioni del Museo Aga Khan, Milan: Edizioni Olivares/Aga Khan Trust for Culture, 2007. ISBN: 8885982948
---. The Path of Princes: Masterpieces from the Aga Khan Museum. Geneva: Aga Khan Trust for Culture, 2008.
Akbarnia, Ladan, Michael Barry, Sheila R. Canby, Azim Nanji, and Fernando Valdés. The Worlds of Islam in the collection of the Aga Khan Museum. Barcelona: Caixa Forum/Aga Khan Trust for Culture, 2009. ISBN: 978-84-9900-013-8
Atasoy, Nurhan and Julian Raby. Iznik: The Pottery of Ottoman Turkey. London: Thames and Hudson, 1989. ISBN:978-0500973745
Benoit Junod. Geographies of Islam (exhibition leaflet). Toledo: Aga Khan Trust for Culture, 2008.
Bilgi, Hülya. Dance of Fire: Iznik Tiles and Ceramics in the Sadberk Hanım Museum and Ömer Koç Collections. Istanbul: Sadberk Hanim Muzesi, 2009. ISBN: 9789756959336
Erdmann, Kurt. “Ka‘ba-Fliesen,” Ars Orientalis 3 (1959), 192–97.
---. "Seraybauten des dreizehnten und vierzehnten Jahrhunderts in Anatolien." Ars Orientalis 3 (1959): 77–94.
Erken, Sabih. “Türk Çiniciliğinde Kâbe Tasvirleri,” Vakıflar Dergisi 9 (1971): 297–338.
Falk, Toby. Treasures of Islam. London: Sotheby’s Publications, 1985. ISBN:1555215149
Jodidio, Philip, Ruba Kana’an, et al. Pattern and Light: The Aga Khan Museum. New York: Skira Rizzoli, 2014. ISBN: 978-0847844296
Makariou, Monique Burési. Chefs-d'oeuvre islamiques de l'Aga Khan museum, accompagne l'exposition organisee a Paris, musée du Louvre, du 5 octobre 2007 au 7 janvier 2008, Milan. Paris : Musée du Louvre, 2007. ISBN:9788874394425
Martin, Richard C. “Muslim Pilgrimage,” The Encyclopedia of Religion, ed. Mircea Eliade, 16 vols. New York: Macmillan, 1987, 11:338–46.
Maury, Charlotte. “Depictions of the Haramayn on Ottoman Tiles—Content and Context.” In The Hajj: Collected Essays, eds. Venitia Porter and Liana Saif. London: British Museum, 2013, 143–59. ISBN: 978-086159-193-0
Milstein, Rachel. “Futuh-i Haramayn: Sizteenth-century illustrations of the Hajj route.” In Mamluks and Ottomans: Studies in honour of Michael Winter, eds. David J. Wasserstein and Ami Ayalon. New York: Routledge Studies in Middle Eastern History, 2006, 166–94. ISBN: 9780415372787
Musée d'art et d'histoire. Ceramiques islamiques, dans les collections Genevoises. Geneva : Le Musée Tricorne, 1981. ISBN : 2‐8293‐0042‐4
Refik, Ahmet. Hicri On Birinci Asırda Istanbul Hayatı (1000-1100). Istanbul: Devlet Matbaası, 1931.

Note: This online resource is reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis. We are committed to improving this information and will revise and update knowledge about this object as it becomes available.

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