Bookbinding in Konya

Konya is an important cultural and artistic center in Turkey. The city was a major center of science and art during the Seljuk and Ottoman periods, and it also has a significant place in the field of bookbinding art.

Bookbinding is the process of producing a book sleeve or protective cover made of leather, cloth, or wood to keep the pages of a book or magazine together or to prevent them from falling apart. Cilt (word for binding in Turkish) means skin in Arabic. 

The craft of bookbinding flourished in the 15th century during the Classical Ottoman Period. The work called Şerhü'l-lübab was written in Konya Meram. 

Although it is dated 1455, it reflects the characteristics of the Seljuk binding. During the Seljuk period, Konya was an important center for book arts, particularly bookbinding craft. This is clear from the books produced in Konya, as well as the manuscripts and their bindings housed at the Mevlana Museum and Yusuf Aa Library. Konya was an important hub for book and bookbinding craft during the Ottoman Empire.

The first examples of Turkish binding art date back to the Uighur Period. The skill of bookbinding improved dramatically once the Turks accepted Islam. The sultans encouraged the book arts and scientists during the Seljuk, Ghaznavid, Karakhanid, and Tulunid periods.

Few examples of Anatolian Seljuk bindings have survived today., The front and back covers have separate motifs (with rosettes). The inner covers are made of leather. The Turkish Seljuk bindings, as well as the Ilkhanid and Mamluk bindings, have a compositional unity.