Journal of Art History

Abstract

Large-sized ritual tambourines, called mazhar, have played important roles in religious and cultural life since the founding of the Ottoman Empire. This instrument, which is known by different names, has gained respect due to the fact that it is an element used in the rites and ceremonies of the sects that perform vocal dhikr and is identified with the transformation adventure of the dervish. This research was carried out with the aim of examining and dating the structural, functional, ornamental and symbolic features of 17 mazhars which are in the collection of the Turkish Islamic Arts Museum affiliated with the Edirne Archeology and Ethnography Museum. In this study; the invention of the tambourine and its place as a ritual instrument in different cultures were summarized. Then the works were examined and dated in terms of their structural, functional, ornamental and symbolic features.
In the examined mazhars, it was determined that the leather was fixed to the hoop with two different techniques: rope and nails. And there are three types; those with beam strings, those with zingirdek and those with empty hoops. In this context, it was noted that the mazhar, which we can consider as an instrument that is structurally and functionally tolerant to different applications, is conservative, especially in its circular form and without a cymbal. It is understood that the structural features of the instrument, especially the diameter of the hoop, affect its tone and playing techniques.
Calligraphy stands out as the most prominent element used in the decoration of the mazhars. Inscriptions of different qualities were identified on or inside 13 works. The writings on the inside are ordinary by style but some of them influenced the course of our research as documentary writings. Especially, the clear dates stated in the two works have been the most important basis for placing the subject on a certain historical basis. The calligraphies on the front sides are specially written style and have an artistic and esthetic appearance. This fact suggests that these instruments, which are usually hung on the walls, albeit indirectly are a part of the lodge decoration. The writings on the front, written in a muhakkak style, helped to date some works that do not contain a date, such as the crescent-star symbol consisting of a crescent and a five-pointed star drawn on a work, to the 19th century.
We also discovered that there is a connection between the instrument and dervish’s journey to become the Perfect Human and reaching God. Likewise, we have seen that the mazhar is associated with Sufi concepts such as union, and we believe that this connection, strengthened by the wedding metaphor, is related to the announcement of the wedding, which is one of the first and most important duties of the instrument in Islamic life.
As a result, it was determined that some of the works had a direct connection with the Sa‘diyye, Rifâiyye and Kādiriyye sects, and an indirect connection with the Bektâşiyye; that these sects indicate a cultural permeability between their lodges and that this permeability may have occurred in a period from the first quarter of the 19th century to the first quarter of the 20th century, under the influence of the political, social and religious events of the period. This research offers the opportunity to take a religious, social, cultural and artistic cross-section of one of the most active periods of Ottoman history through the mazhar instrument, a religious symbol seen and heard in Ottoman society.