One Artist, Two Minbars: Reflections on the Minbars of Manisa Ulu Mosque (1376) and Bursa UluMosque (1399)

Abstract

Two of the principalities that emerged in different political and social environments are the Ottomans (1299-1923) and Sarukhanids (1300-1410). Although these two principalities sometimes form alliances, they are in constant competition with each other. This mode of rivalry has affected the artist choices of the sultans as well as the construction activities. Moreover, the artist preferences of the patrons were accepted as a display of power and a means of self-expression. For this reason, it is significant that Bayezid I had the minbar built by the same artist 23 years after İshak Çelebi's, even though their power and balance of power were different. The name of this Antep origin artist is “amel-i el Hac Muhammed bin Abd-ul Aziz ibn-ül-Daki el- Ayintabi”. When we compare the quality, monumentality and craftsmanship of these two minbars which are present in the mosques which were built under the patronage of İshak Çelebi (1359?-1388) and Bayezid I (1389-1402) it is possible to question the power of the aforementioned rulers of the era. As it is known, minbars symbolize the most political side of mosques because of the khutba being read on them. If this building is a sultan's mosque located in the center of the capital, as in the case of Bursa Ulu and Manisa Ulu Mosques, the political aspect of the minbar turns into an "image". For this reason, the monumentality and fine workmanship of the minbars are very important. In addition to monumentality and fine workmanship, another important data on these minbars that refers to the "image" are patrons inscriptions. In addition to the minbars, the architectural elements of the mosques (such as the plan scheme, material-technical features, facade designs and monumentality) reflect the features that will document the strong political personality of the period. For this reason, our aim is to try to read the historical and political structure of the period by examining the reflection of power on architecture through these two minbars.