Türbe

For the village in Bosnia and Herzegovina, seeTurbe, Travnik.

The türbe ofGazi Husrev-beg(1480–1541) at theGazi Husrev-beg MosqueinSarajevo

Earlier and more eastern examples have straight-sided roofs rather than domes, a Persian style.Divriği,Sivas Province,in central eastern Turkey.?13th century.

The Grand Vizier's türbes in the heart ofTravnik

Momine Khatun Mausoleum inNakhchivan(1186–1187)

Türberefers to a Muslimmausoleum,tomborgraveoften in the Turkish-speaking areas and for the mausolea ofOttomansultans, nobles and notables. A typical türbe is located in the grounds of amosqueor complex, often endowed by the deceased. However, some are more closely integrated into surrounding buildings.

Many are relatively small buildings, often domed andhexagonaloroctagonalin shape, containing a single chamber. More minor türbes are usually kept closed although the interior can be sometimes be glimpsed through metal grilles over the windows or door. The exterior is typically masonry, perhaps with tiled decoration over the doorway, but the interior often contains large areas of painted tilework, which may be of the highest quality.

Inside, the body or bodies repose in plainsarcophagi,perhaps with a simpleinscription,which are, or were originally, covered by rich cloth drapes. Usually these sarcophagi are symbolic, and the actual body lies below the floor. At the head of the tomb a wooden pole was sometimes surmounted by a white cloth Ottoman turban (for men) or by a turban carved in stone.

Earlier examples often had two or more storeys, following the example of theIlkhanateand Persian tombs on which they were modelled; theMalek Tombis a good example of this. The Ottoman style is also supposed to reflect the shape of the tents used by the earlier nomadic Ottomans and their successors when on military campaigns. Sultans often had their tombs built during their lifetimes, although those of other family members (and some sultans) were constructed after their deaths. The vital organs of SultanMurad I,assassinated just after his victory at theBattle of Kosovoin 1389, were buried in atürbethere while the rest of his body was carried back to his capital atBursato be buried in a second türbe.

Etymology

The word is derived from theArabicتُرْبَةturbah(meaning"soil/ground/earth"), which can also mean amausoleum,but more often a funerary complex, or a plot in a cemetery.

Famoustürbes

ThetürbeofHürrem Sultan(died 1558) at theSüleymaniye MosqueinIstanbul,showing tiling, draped sarcophagi, one empty turban pole, and one with a turban (protected by plastic wrapping)

Damat Ali-Paša's TurbehinBelgrade'sKalemegdanfortress. Note thehexagonalbase.

Sarcophagi inside thetürbeof SheikhShaban-i Veli,Sufi masterof theHalvetitariqa,inKastamonu

Istanbulis home to thetürbesof most of the Ottoman sultans as well as to many of the grand viziers and other notables. Turkey also hastürbesassociated with severalSufisaintsof theOttoman Empire.

Süleymaniye Mosque complex

TheSüleymaniye Mosquecomplex in Istanbul includes some of the most famoustürbes,including that ofSuleymanhimself (1550s) – perhaps the most splendid of all Ottomantürbes –and that of his wifeHürrem Sultan,with some extremely fine tilework. In a street close to the complex is the smalltürbeof its famous architectMimar Sinan,in what was his garden.

Konya

InKonyathe grounds of the 12th-centuryAlâeddin Mosquecontain two conical-roofed earlytürbescontaining the remains of members of theSeljuk Rumdynasty. The town is also home to thetürbeofJalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi,which is a majorshrineandpilgrimagepoint. In Konya, as in Kayseri,türbesare also referred to asKümbets.

Bursa

The Ottoman capital before the conquest ofConstantinoplein 1453,Bursais home to thetürbesof most of the earlier sultans includingOsman Iand his son,Orhan.Türbesin the grounds of the lovelyMuradiye Complexcontain the remains ofMurad IIand several princes. TheYeşil Türbe(Green Türbe), a large three-story tower in the grounds of theYeşil Mosque,houses the beautifully tiled sarcophagus ofMehmed I.Much of its exterior is covered with plain blue tiles, despite the name of the tomb suggesting that they are green.

Bulgaria

In Bulgaria, the heptagonaltürbesof dervish saints such as Kıdlemi Baba, Ak Yazılı Baba,Demir BabaandOtman Babaserved as the centers ofBektashitekkes(gathering places) before 1826.The türbe ofHaji Bektash Veliis located in the original Bektashi tekke (now a museum) in thetownthat now bears his name and remains a site forAlevipilgrims from throughout Turkey.

Bosnia and Herzegovina

At the peak of theOttoman empire,underGazi Husrev-begSarajevo,Bosnia and Herzegovina, became one of the biggest and most important Ottoman cities in the Balkans after Istanbul, with the largest marketplace (modern dayBaščaršija), and numerous mosques, which by the middle of the 16th century numbered more than 100. By 1660, the population of Sarajevo was estimated to be over 80,000. Husrev-beg greatly shaped the physical city, as most of what is now the Old Town was built during his reign. TheGazi Husrev-beg Mosque(Bosnian: Gazi Husrev-begova Džamija, Turkish: Gazi Hüsrev Bey Camii), is a mosque in Sarajevo historic marketplace Baščaršija, and it was built in 16th century. It is the largest historical mosque in Bosnia and Herzegovina and one of the most representativeOttoman structuresin the Balkans. Gazi Husrev-beg's turbe is located in the mosque courtyard.

Travnik,in modern Bosnia and Herzegovina, became the capital of the Ottoman province of Bosnia and residence of the Bosnian viziers after 1699, whenSarajevowas set ablaze byPrince Eugene of Savoy.The Grand Viziers were sometimes buried in Travnik, and türbe shrines were erected in their honour in the heart of Old town of Travnik, where they stand today.

Hungary

The türbe of Idrisz Baba stands inPécs,Hungary and was built in 1591. It features an octagonal base and domedsepulchre,withogee-shapedlower windows and circular upper windows on the facade. It is one of only two surviving türbes of its kind in Hungary (the other is theTomb of Gül Baba), and plays an important role in the record ofOttoman architecturein Hungary.

Not much is known about the Turkish person entombed in the türbe of Idrisz Baba; however, he was considered to be a holy man with the power to work miracles. It was later used as a storage facility for gunpowder. The türbe has been furnished with a mausoleum, embroidered sheet, and prayer mat by the Turkish government. Both the türbe of Idrisz Baba and the türbe of Gül Baba are places of pilgrimage for Muslims.

See also

• Gonbadand Kümbet, Persian and Seljuk equivalents.
• Gongbei (Islamic architecture)(China)

References

• Levey, Michael;The World of Ottoman Art,1975, Thames & Hudson,ISBN0500270651
• Lewis, Stephen (2001). "The Ottoman Architectural Patrimony in Bulgaria".EJOS.30(IV). Utrecht.ISSN0928-6802.
• Meri, Josef F.,The cult of saints among Muslims and Jews in medieval Syria,Oxford Oriental monographs, Oxford University Press, 2002,ISBN978-0199250783

External links

• Cappadocia online