Artistic Phases of Migration to the West - Doğan Kuban

Kumsal Temizsoylu

Department of History of Architecture- METU

AH 543 Anatolian Seljuk Architecture(11-14th Centuries)

Prof.Dr. Ali Uzay Peker

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Table of Content
∙ Doğan Kuban Biography
∙ His Approach and Awards
∙ Introduction: Problems of Turkish Art History
∙ Chapter 1: Historical Position of Nomadic Culture and Art
∙ Chapter 2: The First Turkish Societies of the Written History in the Steppe
∙ Chapter 3: The Material Culture and Art of The Central Asia Before Islam
Doğan Kuban
Biography 1926–2021

• Architecture Historian

• Academician

• Professor

• Researcher

• Writer

Doğan Kuban. Biyografya. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://www.biyografya.com/biyografi/6581. 2
 ∙ Graduated from the Istanbul Technical
University department of Architecture
in 1949
∙ He directed the repair works of
Kalenderhane Mosque in Istanbul.
∙ In 1980, he participated as a UNESCO
expert in the international congress on
"Protection of Islamic Countries"

Kalenderhane Mosque
Doğan Kuban. Biyografya. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://www.biyografya.com/biyografi/6581.
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 His Approach and Awards

∙ He argued that it is a wrong approach for Western

researchers to see Islamic art as a homogeneous whole.
∙ The main purpose of Kuban, starting from Sinan, is to
create a theoretical and conceptual framework for
classical Ottoman architecture, to define this style, to
explain the process that led to it, and to compare it with
Islamic cultures as well as Byzantine and Renaissance
architecture (Günkut Akın)
∙ He won the "Architecture" award at the 2019
Presidential Culture and Art Grand Awards.

Doğan Kuban. Biyografya. (n.d.). Retrieved November 10, 2021, from https://www.biyografya.com/biyografi/6581. 4
Introduction: Problems of Turkish Art History

∙ According to Kuban We cannot evaluate any material cultural data correctly by

denying the Anatolian and non-Anatolian origins of Turkish culture.

∙ He states that It is sufficient to examine the stages of Turkish art in two main
categories, nomadic and settled.

∙ This book is based on the artistic data of a human and cultural movement towards
Anatolia.

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Bursa Ulu Camii is an example of:
∙ Ottoman Architecture
∙ Islamic Architecture
∙ Domed Architecture
∙ Anatolian Architecture

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 Chapter 1: Historical Position of Nomadic Culture and Art
∙ The first region where Kuban look for the data of the material environment of Turks
is the Altaylar region.

It is not important who owns the individual belongings which found here. These
findings are enlightening the nomadic life of Turks in a very detailed way.

The steppe societies of the Late Bronze Age

spanned five hundred years while moved
between their winter quarters and highlands,
they gradually prepared for a permanent
nomadic life.

*Kuban,D. (1993) Batıya Göçün Sanatsal Evreleri, Anadolu’dan Önce Türklerin Sanat Ortaklıkları, İstanbul.
Medieval Tatar yurts and chariots (from Yule-Cordier.) 7
 Pazirik tomb: Various felts, cars, coffins

and other items were found in this tomb

where the famous Pazirik

carpet is located.

*Kuban,D. (1993) Batıya Göçün Sanatsal Evreleri, Anadolu’dan Önce Türklerin Sanat Ortaklıkları, İstanbul.
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 A carpet motif found in the pazirik.

• Many motifs in this carpet are from Mesopotamia, Iran and this
carpet is not considered a nomadic product, as it goes back to
Hellenistic art traditions.

Borders in pazirik felts​.

*Kuban,D. (1993) Batıya Göçün Sanatsal Evreleri, Anadolu’dan Önce Türklerin Sanat Ortaklıkları, İstanbul.
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 Animal Stylization Problem

∙ Findings related to animal style based upon the evaluation of decorative art works.
The conclusion reached by archaeologists and anthropologists about the Turkish and
Mongolian animal style are like this;
∙ Animals are not items of worshiped as seen in many other cultures.
∙ They do not represent gods.

Deer motif on felt carpet in non-Ula excavations. A wooden eagle in the Pazirik tomb​.
*Kuban,D. (1993) Batıya Göçün Sanatsal Evreleri, Anadolu’dan Önce Türklerin Sanat Ortaklıkları, İstanbul.
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 Chapter 2: The First Turkish Societies of the Written History in the Steppe

• The Turkish name is first appear within the written documents in Chinese and
Göktürk sources.

• Turkish page of history opens with the 10th century. In this book Kuban interested
and dealing with the art and cultural world which leads to western migrations.
Relations Between Turkish Nomads and Settled Society- Turks in the Cultural Circle of China

• Dimensions aside, the Central Asian cylindrical

tower stupas are thought-provoking structures
regarding the origins of tower minarets.

*Kuban,D. (1993) Batıya Göçün Sanatsal Evreleri, Anadolu’dan Önce Türklerin Sanat Ortaklıkları, İstanbul. A Buddhist stupa
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 Uyghur Cultural Area

• Another Turkish cultural

environment that remains in the
Indian and Chinese cultural
environment is the Uyghur
culture in the Agricultural
Region.
• In Uyghur painting, the human
portrait moves away from the
stereotype and gains a personal
quality however it is not enough
to show these painting outside
of the previous painting
tradition.

*Kuban,D. (1993) Batıya Göçün Sanatsal Evreleri, Anadolu’dan Önce Türklerin Sanat Ortaklıkları, İstanbul.
a prince of Uyghur (19. Temple)
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 • The histories of China, Iran and India cannot
be written without thinking the Turkish
Central Asia nomads. At the same way in the west,
histories of Islamic groups, Russians
and Byzantines and Europe cannot be written
without knowing the Turkish history but of
the Problem course the opposite of this statement is valid
as well. That Turkish history cannot be
of Turks written without knowing these areas culture.

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 Chapter 3: The Material Culture and Art of The Central Asia Before Islam

Historical Facts
• This period has very developed fortification systems, brick architecture, sculpture and rich examples of
ceramics.

An example of Central Asian

brick architectural tradition​.

*Kuban,D. (1993) Batıya Göçün Sanatsal Evreleri, Anadolu’dan Önce Türklerin Sanat Ortaklıkları, İstanbul. Büyük Kız Kale in Merv 8th century after Christ. 14
 Cities and Architecture

∙ Central Asia shows a

physical
organization similar
to the feudal order of
the Western Middle
Ages.

∙ A studied example of
this urban tradition is
Toprakkale city in the
north of Urgenç.

Toprakkale ruins in Harezn

*Kuban,D. (1993) Batıya Göçün Sanatsal Evreleri, Anadolu’dan Önce Türklerin Sanat Ortaklıkları, İstanbul.
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 ∙ Pencikent which is located in the east of
Samarkand, was the oldest living Pre Islamic city
until the middle of the 8th century with its rich
archaeological findings.
The city consisted of four elements;
∙ Fortress
∙ Palace,
∙ Şehristan (the main city),
∙ Rabad (fore town) and the cemetery

*Kuban,D. (1993) Batıya Göçün Sanatsal Evreleri, Anadolu’dan Önce Türklerin Sanat Ortaklıkları, İstanbul.
A living room in Pencikent 16
 Paintings of Pre-Islamic Central Asia

∙ The findings of archaeologists after the Second World War, revealed the
extraordinary richness of Central Asia in terms of painting.

∙ But unfortunately the develop Islamic culture did not allowed to continuation of this
kind of wall paintings instead of it concentrates on the tile art and miniatures.

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Thank You