Lighting Tools from Konya's Cultural Heritage

 People have always needed light. In the beginning, early humans were illuminated only by the sun and the stars. However, later on, humankind realized that this light was insufficient and began to search for something that would provide more light and discovered fire.

Due to the need for lighting, humankind has constantly been in search of development and improvement. And the lighting system has developed as Fire → Oil → Candle → Gas → Electricity → LED & Smart Systems. We cannot know what kind of development we will encounter in lighting, which has evolved and survived until today. However, we can foresee that humankind’s search and developments in this field will continue.

Very interesting lighting tools were used throughout history. In the Middle Ages, the wealthy used beeswax candles, while the public used tallow candles. Before the discovery of petroleum, we see that animal fats, especially Whale Oil, were used in lighting tools.

In Konya, in the Ancient and pre-Seljuk periods, especially in open areas, castles and ceremonies, torches and oil lamps made of clay or metal, into which olive oil or animal fat was placed and burned with a wick, were used.

During the Anatolian Seljuk period, as in architecture, important works were produced in ceramic art and glass art. This development was also reflected in lighting tools. Therefore, glass and ceramic oil lamps have been found in excavations carried out in places such as Alaeddin Hill, Zindankale and Kubad-Abad Palace. A significant part of these oil lamps is exhibited and preserved in the Karatay Museum.

SELJUK PERIOD LIGHTING TOOLS FOUND IN EXCAVATIONS
(OIL LAMPS)

The oil lamps found in excavations carried out in Konya, especially those from the Seljuk period, have been among the important archaeological findings reflecting both daily life and the understanding of art. As can be understood from the excavations, since Konya was the capital of the Anatolian Seljuk State, it is a very rich city in terms of examples of lighting tools.

A large number of ceramic oil lamp fragments have been unearthed in excavations carried out at Alaeddin Hill, around Karatay Madrasa, Sırçalı Madrasa, Kubad-Abad Palace, Zindankale and Şems-i Tebrizi Neighborhood in Konya. Therefore, the Anatolian Seljuk State produced important works in ceramic art as well as in architecture. A significant part of the oil lamps included among the ceramics produced in this period is preserved in the Karatay Museum. 

Some of these oil lamps, which came to the museum through excavation, donation and transfer, are on display, while some are preserved in storage Again, some of the oil lamps found in excavations are exhibited in the Konya Archaeology Museum.

The richest findings in Anatolia in terms of Seljuk period glassmaking were obtained in the Kubad-Abad Palace excavations. Especially in the 12th–13th centuries, it has been determined in the findings that oil lamps and candlesticks were used to illuminate large worship areas, multiple oil lamps placed on metal rings were used, and lanterns were used as portable light sources.

The oil lamps found from the Seljuk period were generally made of ceramic (terracotta), bronze or, rarely, glass materials. They feature geometric patterns, vegetal motifs (rûmi, palmette) and sometimes calligraphic decorations. Most oil lamps are in the classical form with an oil reservoir and wick outlet; some were used in more ornate and monumental structures.

Seljuk oil lamps also show the level of craftsmanship and aesthetic understanding of the period. Due to the tendency in Islamic art to avoid figures, more abstract and vegetal decorations were preferred on the oil lamps.

The oil lamps, which provide clues about trade and production like ceramic workshops, were used in domestic lighting, while the more aesthetic and larger ones, made of more ornate and higher-quality materials, were used in mosques and madrasas, palaces and official buildings.

Therefore, Konya, with its deep historical past, is an important city with a rich accumulation where different examples of lighting tools can also be encountered and where a large part of these have been taken under protection.