Tughra

The first Ottoman tughra,Orhan I(1326).

Atughra(Ottoman Turkish:طغرا,romanized:ṭuġrā;Turkish:tuğra) is acalligraphicmonogram,sealorsignatureof a sultan that was affixed to all official documents and correspondence. Inspired by thetamgha,it was also carved on his seal and stamped on the coins minted during his reign. Very elaborate decorated versions were created for important documents that were also works of art in the tradition ofOttoman illumination,such as the example ofSuleiman the Magnificentin the gallery below.

The tughra was designed at the beginning of the sultan's reign and drawn by the courtcalligrapherornişancıon written documents. The first tughra examples are from the 14th century.

Tughras served a purpose similar to thecartouchein ancient Egypt or theRoyal Cypherof British monarchs. Every Ottoman sultan had his own individual tughra.

Etymology

There are two main schools of thought on the origins of the word tughra. The first sees it derived from a Turkic secretarial emblem calledtughragh,and the second as an effort by Persian scribes to shape the name of the ruler into a bow-like element calledturgha/turghay,subsequently mispronounced as tughra.

The primary argument for the first school is a remark byMahmud al-Kashgariin hisDīwān Lughāt al-Turk:

Thetughraghis the seal and signature of the king [in] Oghuz dialect and not known to [Western] Turks; I do not know its origin.

Visual elements of a tughra

The tughra ofSultanMahmud IIof theOttoman Empire.It reads inArabic"MahmudKhanson ofAbdülhamid,forevervictorious".Written out:محمودخانبنعبد الحميدمظفردائماً(MahmūdḪānbinAbdulhamīdmuẓafferdāʾimā).

The tughra has a characteristic form, two loops on the left side, three vertical lines in the middle, stacked writing on the bottom and two extensions to the right. Each of these elements has a specific meaning, and together they make up the form that is easily recognizable as a tughra.

Visual Elements of a Tughra

The name of the sultan is written out in the bottom section, called asere.Depending on the period, this name can be as simple asOrhan,son ofOsman,in the first tughra in 1326. In later periods honorifics and prayers are also added to the name of the tughra holder and his father.

The loops to the left of the tughra are calledbeyze,from Arabic meaningegg.Some interpretations of tughra design claim that the beyzes are supposed to symbolize the two seas the sultans held sway over: the outer larger loop signifying the Mediterranean and the inner, smaller loop signifying the Black Sea.

The vertical lines on the top of the tughra are calledtuğ,or flagstaff. The three tugs signify independence. The S-shaped lines crossing the tugs are calledzülfeand they, together with the tops of the tugs that also look to the right, signify that the winds blow from the east to the west, the traditional movement of the Ottomans.

The lines to the right of the tughra are calledhançerand signify a sword, symbol of power and might.

Tughras of the Ottoman sultans

• 
  Tughra ofMurad IIat theHeptapyrgioninThessaloniki(1431)
• 
  The Tughra atDolmabahçe Palace.
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
  Decorated tughra ofSüleyman the Magnificent(1520)
• 
  Tughra ofSelim III(1789)
• 
• 
• 
• 
  Tughra on the Gate of Felicity atTopkapı Palace
• 
• 
  Tughra abovePort GateinBelgrade

Other tughras

Although the tughra is largely identified with the Ottoman Sultans, they have also sometimes been used in other states, such as theQajar dynasty,Safavid Empire,theCrimean khanate,theKhanate of Kazan.Later, tughras were used among theImperial RussiaofTartary. TheMughal Emperorsare also known to have used calligraphic symbols, alongside theOttomans,the Mughal "Tughra" was circular in shape with three points at its tip, beside the calligraphic signature of the emperor.

Afghan currency notes from 1919 to 1936 had the tughra present as well. Pakistan had the tughra on its coins from 1947 till 1974; both of these are present in the State Bank Museum in Karachi. The nawab of Bahawalpur and the Nizam of Hyderabad had tugras on their coinage as well. The flowing lines could symbolize the wide reach of Suleyman's rule and his future conquests. It could also signify the spread of Islam to other realms beyond the Ottoman Empire.

AFirmanissued by theMughal EmperorShah Alam II;containing the officialMughal"tughra" in black ink alongside the calligraphic signature of Shah Alam II in red.

• 
  Tughra ofUzun Hasan
• 
  Tughra ofSahib I Giray
• 
  Tughra ofNaser al-Din Shah Qajar
• 
  The official imperial Tughra of theMughal Empire

Post-imperial interpretations

There are moderncalligraphyartists that use the characteristic tughra form today. Examples are the tughras of Russian presidentVladimir PutinandEmperor of Japan,Akihito,created by artist Vladimir Popov.

See also

• Huaya,stylised calligraphic signatures used in East Asia
• Khelrtva,stylised calligraphic signatures used in Georgia
• Rota (papal signature)
• Totem

External links

Media related toTughraat Wikimedia Commons

• Ottoman Sultan Tughras
• Modern Ceramics with Tughra
• Andreas Birken, "The Tughra of Sultan Abdülaziz (1861-76)",Peshawar Stamp Society