Abstract
Candleholders, which are functionally utilized as a means of illumination in religious and civil architecture, have also reflected symbolic meanings in many beliefs, especially within the framework of light symbolism. This symbolism has also affected the design of the works. Candleholders made of materials such as ceramic, glass and metal were produced in different sizes according to the place they were used and named accordingly. Candleholders used in religious and civil architecture in Turkish-Islamic societies which took place in dervish lodges in a way to express symbolic meaning as well as it’s functionality. In this study, after giving information about the functional and symbolic aspects of the concepts of candleholder-candle and cerag in Sufism and dervish orders, thirteen candleholders in dervish lodges, which are brought to the Çankırı Museum from the Çankırı Taş Mescid Mevlevîhâne, are dated, introduced and evaluated within the frame of art history according to materials, technics used and ornamentations. In this study, it is aimed to determine the place of the lodge candleholders as well as the symbolic expressions of the Sufi literature in Turkish-Islamic art by examining the works within the framework of the art history and to contribute to the literature for further research on this subject. Although cerag and oil candles, which are among the lighting tools used in lodges, were mentioned very often in both written and visual sources, works dated to the 13th-14th centuries, which came to museums from different dervish lodges, show that the candelholders were also used as a lighting tool in the lodges since the early periods. These works, which include herbal, geometric, figural and written compositions appear as important art objects. Nowadays, lodge candleholders in museums and collections differentiate in form. In general, the candleholders in the meydan-ı şerif (a term used dervish lodge architecture) are similar, however there are also different examples such as the Kırk Budak Candleholder in Bektashi order or the eighteen-armed candelabra Mawlawi order. In the formation of these different forms, the symbolic reflections of the Sufi literature in general and the relevant sect in particular were effective within the framework of Islamic belief. In addition to the symbolic elements that affect the form of candleholders, there are also some meanings which represent these items. Candleholders in dervish lodges, like cerag and candels, were an element that reminds the light of Allah, the Prophet Muhammad, the Qur'an, the leader of the relevant sect, which must be followed constantly by the dervish in the course of his journey and enable him to walk on his path. Among the lighting tools in the lodges, candles and cerags, especially those belonging to the Bektashi order, are the subject of different researches with special names and symbolism in their designs. There are few studies on the lodge candleholders, which are important examples of Turkish Islamic art with their designs and the symbolic meanings they reflect as in cerags and candles. All candleholders reviewed in this study are metal (brass) and were produced by forging and casting techniques. While some of the works with different candleholder, body and pedestal forms were produced in pairs, there are also single examples. There is no decoration element except the tulip form seen on one candleholder and in a writing sources. When the candleholders without the date inscription are compared with the similar foundation and lodge candleholders in different museums and considering the historical process of the Çankırı Mevlevîhâne, it is seen that they are examples from the 19th century. Moreover, while it is realized from the inscription on many candleholders in different collections that they are pieces of foundations, in the studies there is no any record. Apart from dating, another important thing is the issue of the artist. There is no any artist-master expression on the works. However, when the works are compared with the candleholders utilized in different areas belonging to the same period, it is seen that they reflect the common language of the period because they exhibit the common forms of candleholder found in the 19th century. These pieces, which reflect the characteristics of the period in which they were produced, are important examples of Turkish-Islamic metal art with their forms and symbolic meanings.