The name of Prophet Muhammad is repeated six times in Kufic script around an eight-pointed star motif at the center of the stone. (AA photo)
A decorated stone bearing the name of Prophet Muhammad six times in Kufic script has been discovered at the Seljuk Cemetery at the UNESCO-listed Ani Archaeological Site in eastern Türkiye, Culture and Tourism Minister Mehmet Nuri Ersoy has announced.
Ersoy said the artifact was unearthed during archaeological excavations that have been ongoing at the Seljuk Cemetery since 2021.
“We found a unique artifact in Ani, where Sultan Alparslan’s conquest in 1064 opened the door to Turkish-Islamic history in Anatolia,” Ersoy said.
The 51-by-21-centimeter stone was carved using the relief technique. The name of Prophet Muhammad is repeated six times in Kufic script around an eight-pointed star motif at the center of the stone. Since only half of the artifact has survived, three of the six inscriptions are currently visible.
The stone is believed to be an architectural element from one of the Seljuk tombs in the cemetery.
“The name ‘Hz. Muhammed’ appears three times in the inscription band surrounding an eight-pointed star-shaped motif at its center,” Ersoy said. “This artifact, believed to have belonged to a Seljuk tomb, is a centuries-old stone testament to the deep love our ancestors held for the Prophet Muhammad.”
According to the Culture and Tourism Ministry, the artifact provides tangible evidence of Ani’s Turkic-Islamic identity, the religious beliefs of the period and the region’s burial culture.
Archaeological findings indicate that the Seljuk Cemetery at Ani is the earliest known Turkic-Islamic cemetery and Turkish martyrdom site in Anatolia.
Ani, conquered by Sultan Alparslan in 1064, is considered one of the key starting points of Turkish-Islamic history in Anatolia. The site also holds particular significance for the region’s architectural heritage, with monuments described as the first conquest mosque, first mosque and first masjid in Anatolia.
Similar decorative designs can be seen at the 1191 Mama Hatun Tomb in Tercan, the 1224 Grand Mosque of Malatya, the Eşrefoğlu Mosque in Beyşehir and the Tahir and Zühre Mosque in
Konya.
