Artists are working longer hours to make reproductions of
unique tile artifacts of the Great Seljuk (1037-1194) and Anatolian Seljuk
(1077-1308) periods at the tile workshop of the Selçuklu Municipality in
central Konya province. Sent to the sets of period drama TV series and films,
these reproductions have brought further recognition to Seljuk tiles and
boosted interest in them.
The tile workshop of the Selçuklu Municipality was
established a quarter of a century ago to keep the art of Seljuk tile making alive.
While copies of important artifacts made by artists during the Seljuk period
are reproduced in this workshop, these artifacts are sent both to the
Presidential Complex in the capital Ankara and to the sets of television series
and films portraying the Seljuk period.
Selçuklu Mayor Ahmet Pekyatırmacı said that they are working
to display loyalty to the Seljuk civilization, which their district in Konya is
named after.
Expressing that one of these efforts is the tile workshop
with its 25-year history, Pekyatırmacı noted, “The Seljuk civilization is a
civilization that produced great artistic works and we want to keep the works
created by this civilization alive in our tile workshop.”
Recalling that they have produced a large number of
important artifacts so far, Pekyatırmacı said: “Our latest exhibition was in
eastern Bitlis province during the opening of the Presidential Complex in Ahlat
town. There, we presented a gift of tiles and ceramic works to both President
Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Devlet Bahçeli, head of the Nationalist Movement Party
(MHP). We also send many artifacts to the Presidency, and they are presented as
gifts to statespeople on special visits.”