Beautiful Jewellery from The Anatolian Seljuk State

cover: Turkish Gold Ring, 12th -13th century. Stork Kosova [1]

Throughout history; jewellery is made and was worn for different reasons. The history of jewellery making goes back to 75,000 years ago. From the earliest primitive years of wearing animal bones or shells, humankind seems to still enjoy wearing jewellery today. In this article, we focus on the usage of jewellery in early Islamic-Anatolian state ‘Anatolian Seljuks’ which were a part of the ‘Great Seljuk Empire’ until the Empire’s collapse in the 12th century. We aim to explore the beautiful ancient pieces of jewellery and look to investigate one step further, into the aim of making and wearing jewellery. Is it exactly the same reason we wear gold, silver or even plastic pieces of jewellery today? It can be said that in the modern era, people wear them for fashion and occasionally to state their status. In addition to these questions, this article will be looking at what kind of jewellery is made using these materials. Do they hold an important purpose?

Anatolian Seljuk State was established by a group of Turkish people that had entered the Anatolian region in 1071. Officially, the Seljuk State was established in 1077 by the leadership of the Kutalmışoğlu Süleyman Shah. The state lived on for approximately 200 years. The jewellery samples remaining from the Seljuk State are made mostly of gold, silver and bronze. Since the state was ruled by a dynasty, gold jewellery was mostly worn by the rulers and noble people to show their status. The other frequently used materials include minerals such as carnelian, amethyst, amber. The shapes, patterns were abundant with animal figures, religious writings in Arabic.

 

This piece of beautiful jewellery made from gold and silver shows how detailed the work is. Just as previously mentioned, the animal figures and calligraphic writings are seen engraved on this piece as well. The writings inside the ring are as follows: ‘bi’llah yathiq ‘ali’ which translates to ‘Allah puts his trust in Ali’. The writings around the bezel around the stone are: ‘al-‘izz al-da/’im wa al-i/qbal al/ al-baqa’ which translates to ‘Perpetual Glory, Prosperity, and Long-life’.

This piece is a belt, which is another beautiful example of how glamourous Seljuk jewellery was. This piece is completely gold adorned with various stones: carnelian, emerald, pearls and turquoise. Inside of the belt, the writings are: ‘al-mulk , li’llah al-wahid , al-sa’ada , al-sa’id , al-za’id wa , al-baqa li-sahibihi’which translates to ‘Sovereignty is God’s, the One. Rising increasing Happiness and Long-life to its owner’.

The common point of both pieces of jewellery is that it comes with religious writing and good wishes for its owner. Generally, it is long life and prosperity that are the most important things for people. The jewellery seems to be also intended almost as a ‘talisman’ for people. The written intentions are what’s expected from the jewellery to bring into the owner’s life. In that sense, they’re almost seen as functional.

 

 

 

 

Resources

• Radford, T. (2004, April 16). World’s oldest jewellery found in cave. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/apr/16/artsandhumanities.arts
•  Claude Cahen (İng. çev.:J. Jones-Williams) (1968), Pre-Ottoman Turkey: a general survey of the material and spiritual culture and history c. 1071-1330, New York: Taplinger, pg. 73-4.
• M. (2016, September 28). Four Seljuk rings. Miriam’s Middle Eastern Research Blog. https://awalimofstormhold.wordpress.com/2016/09/28/four-seljuk-rings/
• Metal Working and Jewellery, The Seljuk Period. (n.d.). Turkish Cultural Foundation. Retrieved June 13, 2021, from http://www.turkishculture.org/applied-arts/metal-artwork/metal-artwork/jewellery-seljuk-period-586.htm

Image Resources

1. Turkish Gold Ring, 12th -13th century. (2018, September 26). [Photograph]. Stork Kosova Blog. https://storkkosova.blogspot.com/2018/09/turkish-gold-ring-12th-13th-century.html
2. 12th-13th century Seljuk ring made of silver and gold. (2016, September 28). [Photpgraph]. Miriam’s Middle Eastern Research Blog. https://awalimofstormhold.wordpress.com/tag/seljuk/
3. 12th-13th century Seljuk ring made of silver and gold, the stone detail. (2016, September 28). [Photpgraph]. Miriam’s Middle Eastern Research Blog. https://awalimofstormhold.wordpress.com/tag/seljuk/
4. Andrew Butler-Wheelhouse. (2011). A SELJUK INSET GOLD BELT, 12TH/13TH CENTURY [Photograph]. Christie’s. https://www.christies.com/lot/lot-a-seljuk-inset-gold-belt-seljuk-iran-5482984/?from=salesummery&intobjectid=5482984&sid=3ae48e68-237d-4710-aebc-43938d210aef