On Reading The Meanings Carried By The Zigzag Design In Islamic Art

Year 2019, Volume: 13 - 21. Uluslararası Ortaçağ ve Türk Dönemi Kazıları ve Sanat Tarihi Araştımaları Sempozyumu Bildirileri, 781 - 800, 01.10.2019

T. M. P. Duggan

Abstract

This presentation suggests that this design carried a series of religious meanings when employed within an Islamic context. That the “zigzag” design was “read” in the literal sense,
in the combination of the written Arabic numbers 7 and 8 joined together. These, when added together total 15, with these two numbers summed, thereby a repeat design read as representing the repetition of the number 6. The number 6 representing the letter wav meaning “and”, as in “and Allah”; and, as also representing the sum of the total number of Sura in the Holy Quran, 1+1+4=6. The repeat of the number 6 being read as both representing and repeating the numerical equivalent of the Name Allah, 66, visually read as zikr, wav=6 +Allah (66), as also reminding of the traditional total number of letters forming the Holy Quran, 6,666. Further, there is the association of this design with light, as it has been employed to represent the reflection of sunlight from the surface of water, as also employed to represent the reflection of light from a polished mirror, as also a design on candlesticks, thereby reminding of the relationship between sun and sunlight and The Light of the Almighty, employed by the designers-nakkaş as a sign, to remind in this temporal world of the nur illahi of the Light of the Almighty. Hence the use of this design on the Kaba kiswah, on minarets, as on flags and tombs as on tomb coverings etc.

Keywords

zigzag, muqarnas, Light, legitimacy, Haramayn

İslam Sanatında Zikzak Deseni ve Anlamları Üzerine Bir Okuma

Abstract

Bu bildiri “zikzak” motifinin İslami bağlamda kullanıldığında bir seri dini anlam taşıdığını önermektedir. Motif “metin” olarak okunduğunda Arap rakamları olan 7 ve 8’in birleşiminden
oluşur. Bu sayılar toplandığında 15=6 sayısını verir ki Arapça 6 sayısını gösteren şekil aynı zamanda “ve” anlamına gelen “wav” harfinin de şeklidir. “Wav” “ve Allah” olarak okunabileceği gibi,
aynı zamanda Kur’an’daki surelerin sayısının da toplamına da işaret eder (1+1+4=6). Allah’ın adının rakamsal ve görsel tekrarı olarak kabul edildiğinde zikzak motifi (wav Allah=66) zikir olarak
okunabileceği gibi sayısal olarak tekrarı da Kur’an’ı oluşturan harflerin toplamını (6666) betimliyor olabilir. Öte yandan, zikzak motifinin su yüzeyinden ya da aynadan yansıyan ışığa benzerliğinden
yola çıkarak ışıkla bağlantısı da kurulabilir, ki motif şamdanlarda sıklıkla kullanılmıştır. Güneş ile Allah’ın ışığı bağlantısından yola çıkarak, motifin nakkaşlar tarafından geçici dünyada Nur’u
İllahi’yi sembolize etmek üzere tercih edildiği önerilebilir. Bu okuma ile desenin Kabe Örtüsünde, minarelerde, sancaklarda ve mezar örtüleri gibi dini bağlamlarda kullanılması açıklanabilir.

Keywords

zigzag, mukarnas, ışık, meşruluk, Haramayn

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