Tile Art from Seljuk Era to Present at Konya Symposium

Konya Metropolitan Municipality, in collaboration with the General Directorate of Cultural Assets and Museums of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and the Konya Branch of the Chamber of Architects, is organizing the "Konya Tile Symposium."

Prior to the symposium held at the Taş Bina Culture and Art Center, the exhibition titled "Tiles from Seljuk" was opened, featuring works prepared by faculty members and students from the Department of Traditional Turkish Arts, Major in Historical Tile Restoration, at Selçuk University Faculty of Fine Arts.

Speaking at the opening of the symposium, Konya Museums Director Ömer Faruk Türkan stated that they wanted to do something unique to Konya and said, “This year, for the first time, we planned the ‘Konya Tile Symposium.’ We are grateful to the Konya Metropolitan Municipality for providing us with the greatest support in this endeavor.”

Emphasizing Konya’s historical significance, Türkan said, “When one thinks of Konya, the Seljuk capital, tiles immediately come to mind. As you know, this is the place where the first urbanization began, dating back to the Neolithic period. It’s where the world’s first trade took place. It’s also one of the first regions where agriculture began. These lands are incredibly special because of their location. I like to put it this way: if the Fertile Crescent represents Mesopotamia, then Konya is the full moon of Anatolia.”

Ahmet Övet, President of the Konya Branch of the Chamber of Architects, stated that the tile work prominent in religious and public buildings—an important part of the urbanization tradition established by the Seljuk rule that made Konya the capital—is not merely an architectural decorative art.

The symposium will conclude on Saturday, May 17, with a technical visit to the Karatay Medrese Tile Works Museum.