New book to reveal Ottoman jewelry traditions and crafts

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

‘Jewelry Traditions of the Ottoman Empire’ explores into the jewelry culture in the Ottomans. The book claims jewelry to be an important symbol for the empire.

Speaking of a new book titled “Jewelry Traditions of the Ottoman Empire,” Gül İrepoğlu of Istanbul University’s Art History department said the accessories and jewelry of Ottoman times reveal a great deal about the bright panorama of Ottoman social life.

“Jewelry Traditions of the Ottoman Empire” explores the history and significance of jewelry in that era. “The subtitle of this book is very important for me,” said İrepoğlu, referring to the book’s subtitle “Reading history through jewelry traditions.”

“Jewelry reflects handicraft and artistic trends of the past. We can discover much about the social aspects of the era and how it was reflected in the arts,” İrepoğlu said. “When we talk about Ottoman jewelry traditions, we see a great cultural tradition.”

The jewels of the Ottoman Empire were very important symbols of the empire, according to İrepoğlu. “As the empire spread to other parts of the world, we can see that the culture and art and the jewelry change accordingly. New ateliers enter the palace,” she said.

Masters and craftsmen both learned new techniques and preserved their craft to transmit to future generations. “In this way, each generation learned some new things and continued these trends over times.” The palace jewels were the main treasures of the empire, according to İrepoğlu. “The treasury of jewels was always protected in Topkapı Palace. It was among the largest such treasuries in the Islamic world.” İrepoğlu added that the Ottoman jewels were not damaged like other national treasuries of the Islamic world. “During World War II, the treasures were packed and sent to Central Anatolia for protection, and later they were brought back to Istanbul. The treasures were never sold to anyone,” she said.