A Reevaluation of the Architectural Historiography of the �Tulip Period�

Nilay �zl�
Barakat Postdoctoral Fellow, Oriental Institute, University of Oxford, UK � Alt�nba� University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Istanbul, Turkey

Early-18th century is accepted as a significant turning point in the Ottoman history, due to the intellectual and cultural transformations and social developments taking place in political, economic, artistic, and architectural fields of life. This era, corresponding to the reign of Ahmet III and grand vizierate of Ibrahim Pasha, was later defined as the �Tulip Period� and attained contradicting meanings. Especially the novel architectural forms of the period and their source of inspiration became a point of discussion. Offering a historiographical perspective, this article articulates the changing meanings and contradicting connotations attributed to the so-called Tulip Period, during the late-Ottoman and early-Republican periods. Court poetry of the early-18th century provides us clues for understanding the contemporaries� perception of their environment, which took the city and its architectural elements as a subject, praising their novel forms, innovative designs, unseen beauties, and unique ornamentations. Young Turk era marks a turning point in the perception and instrumentalization of the past and it introduced a critical perspective towards the �Tulip Period�, which was defined as the beginning of Westernization and divergence from the Classical Ottoman art and architecture. This narrative adopted by the early-Republican architects associated the era with corruption and decline. Scrutinizing texts written by Ottoman and Republican architects, the article takes this transformative era of encounter, ambiguity and hybridity as an immanent experience of Early Modernity.

Keywords: 18th century, architectural historiography; early modernity, early Republican; novelty; Tulip Period; visibility.

Mimarl�k Tarih Yaz�m�nda �Lale Devri�

Nilay �zl�
Oxford �niversitesi, �ngiltere - Alt�nba� �niversitesi, �stanbul

Sosyal, politik, ekonomik ve kültürel d�nü�ümlere paralel olarak mimari, sanat ve edebiyat gibi alanlarda pek �ok geli�menin ya�and�� XVIII. yüzy�l�n ba�lar�, Osmanl� tarihinin k�r�lma noktalar�ndan biri olarak kabul edilmektedir. ��üncü Ahmet�in saltanat ve Damat �brahim Pa�a�n�n sadrazaml�k d�nemine denk gelen bu d�nem daha sonra tarih�iler taraf�ndan �Lale Devri� olarak tan�mlanm��, farkl� ve �eli�kili �ekillerde yorumlanm��t�r. �zellikle ortaya ��kan yeni mimari formlar ve bu eserlerin ilham kaynaklar� pek �ok tart��may� da beraberinde getirmi�tir. Bu makale, historiyografik bir bak�� a��s�yla �Lale Devri� olarak adland�r�lan tarihsel aral��n, ge� Osmanl� ve erken Cumhuriyet d�nemlerindeki yans�malar�n�, de�i�en ve �eli�en anlamlar�n� irdelemeyi ama�lamaktad�r. Bu d�nemde, �zellikle �stanbul, kü�ük �l�ekli ancak g�steri�li pek �ok yap� ile donat�lacak, yeni bir mimari dile sahip bu eserler kent mekan�n� oldu�u kadar sosyal hayat� da d�nü�türecektir. D�nemin Divan edebiyat�nda yeni, �zgün ve orijinal olana duyulan merak�n ve yap�l� �evreye dair ilginin izlerini takip etmek mümkündür. Ancak, �kinci Me�rutiyet ile birlikte �Lale Devri� terimi icat edilecek ve bu d�nem, Bat�l�la�ma ve Klasik Osmanl� mimari ve sanat geleneklerinden kopu� ile ili�kilendirilecektir. Erken Cumhuriyet d�neminde radikalle�erek, �Lale Devri� mimari ve sanatta yozla�ma ve gerileme ile �zde�le�tirilecektir. Mimarl�k tarih yaz�m�nda �ne ��kan bu tip s�ylemleri irdeleyen bu makale, bu d�nemi, erken modernitenin belirsiz, hibrit ve tekin olmayan do�as� ile kar��la�ma zemini olarak ele almaktad�r.

Anahtar Kelimeler: On sekizinci yü, zy�l; mimarl�k tarihyaz�m�; erken modernite; erken Cumhuriyet; yenilik; Lale Devri; g�rünürlük.

Nilay �zl�. A Reevaluation of the Architectural Historiography of the �Tulip Period�. Megaron. 2021; 16(1): 39-52

Corresponding Author: Nilay �zl�, United Kingdom

TOOLS

Full Text PDF

Download citation

RIS

EndNote

BibTex

Medlars

Procite

Reference Manager

Share with email

Send email to author

Similar articles

PubMed

Google Scholar