Mahya lights are decorative lights which are strung up between the minarets of Turkishmosques to form illuminated words or pictures on festive occasions such as Eid al-Fitr (Ramazan Bayramı), Eid al-Adha (Kurban Bayramı), on Kandil nights, and throughout the holy month of Ramadan.[1] Mahya lights are a unique part of traditional Turkish festivities. They can also occasionally be seen on some mosques in the Balkans, such as in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, North Macedonia, northeastern Greece, and other countries which were formerly part of the Ottoman Empire.
The word mahya is derived from Ottoman Turkishmâhiyye (ماهيه), ultimately from Persianmâh (ماه), meaning "month". This is in reference to the lights being put up mainly during the month of Ramadan. In some Arabic sources the word is spelt maḥyā (محيا), a verbal noun that means "reviving (of the night)"; the similarity is coincidental and the two words are otherwise not etymologically related.
History
Early mahya lights, such as in this painting by artist Hüsnü Tengüz (1876-1950), spelt out words in Arabic script, before the spelling reform of the 1920s. Here the mahya lights form the word مرحبا / Merhaba ("Hello").
Although the practice of lighting decorative oil lamps on holy nights dates back to the earliest centuries of Islam, the tradition of assembling lights between minarets to create words appears to have originated with the Ottomans.
It is not known exactly when mahya lights were first displayed. However, they were featured as early as 1578 in the German orientalist Salomon Schweigger's travelogue Eine newe Reyßbeschreibung auß Teutschland nach Constantinopel und Jerusalem. In February 1588, Sultan Murad III decreed that mahyas be lit on Kandil nights. Mahya lights were also recorded during the reigns of Selim II and Ahmed I.
Mahya lights have even influenced the architecture of certain mosques. In 1723 during the reign of Ahmed III, the Grand VizierNevşehirli Damat Ibrahim Pasha ordered that two tall minarets be raised for the Eyüp Mosque so that mahyas could be strung up from them (the mosque originally had one squat minaret). Sometimes a second minaret would be erected for this purpose by popular request, as in the case of the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque in the Üsküdar district of Istanbul. One notable mahyacı was Şehzade Mehmed Seyfeddin, the youngest son of the Sultan Abdülaziz.
Mahya lights are an iconic symbol of Turkish public celebrations and have become deeply ingrained in Turkish culture. In 1920, when festivities were toned down during the Armistice period and the Occupation of Istanbul, the Turkish novelist Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu wrote nostalgically in the newspaper İkdam for the return of the mahya lights:[2]
“We are filled with innocent and sweet memories of Ramadan. Some of us miss the previous iftar tables, some of us the mahyas, some of us the exhibitions in Beyazıt, these fragrant buns, these hot pitas, in short, we are all longing for something.”
— Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu
The lights also made an impression on foreign visitors, such as the poet Théophile Gautier, who was in Istanbul for Ramadan 1854:[3]
“The view from the Tepebaşı promenade was magnificent. On the other side of the Golden Horn, Constantinople was gleaming like the crown of an Eastern emperor; the balconies of the minarets of the mosques were decorated with oil lamp bracelets; verses from the Qur'an were shining from one minaret to the next, like fiery letters written in the sky from the pages of a holy book. At the New Mosque, Süleymaniye, and all the temples of Allah from Sarayburnu to Eyüp, mahyas were shining brightly and proclaiming the formulas of Islam with fiery sentences.”
— Théophile Gautier
Other visitors described the lights in equally glowing terms, saying "The Turks have succeeded in bringing down the stars from the sky and using them to write between the minarets."[4]
In the modern era, mahyas almost exclusively consist of electric lights, having replaced the older oil lamps. Nowadays Latin letters are more often used instead of traditional Arabic script, which was predominant before the 1930s.[5]
Mahya lights at the Zeki Altındağ Mosque in Konya.
The lights are often arranged to form Islamic words of devotion (La ilahe illallah - "There is no god but God"), well-wishes on the arrival of Ramadan (Hoş geldin, on bir ayın Sultanı - "Welcome, Sultan of Eleven Months"), or short sayings promoting charity, peace, and goodwill (İnfak et mutlu ol - "Give and be happy"; Müminler kardeştir - "All Muslims are brethren"; Sevelim sevilelim - "Let us love, let us be loved").
An example of Mahya lights outside Turkey: Gëzuar Ramazanin ("Happy Ramadan") at the Et'hem Bey Mosque in Tirana, Albania. As the mosque has only one minaret, the mahyas are conveniently stretched between the minaret and the nearby Clock Tower of Tirana.
Mahyas can also consist of pictorial designs. Motifs such as roses, daffodils, the Maiden's Tower, boats, ferries, pavilions, fountains, bridges, mosques, trams, and even gun carriages have been displayed. A skilled mahyacı can go so far as to design "animated" mahyas that appear to be moving, adding to their aesthetic quality.
Mahyas are not always strictly confined to religious festivals. On occasions such as the visit of Reza Shah of Iran to Istanbul, special mahyas were commissioned to mark the event. Mahyas with specific patriotic messages were also put up during World War I ("Remember the Red Crescent"; "Love of the Fatherland is part of faith"; "Do not forget the muhacirs") and during the Turkish War of Independence ("Long live independence"; "Long live the Misak-ı Millî"). To commemorate the establishment of the Turkish Aeronautical Association, the minarets of Selimiye Mosque in Edirne were adorned with the association's logo: a stylised aeroplane. During the COVID-19 pandemic, messages such as "Ramadan is the month of recovery" could be seen.[6][7]
On mosques with a single minaret, the mahyas can be slightly inclined with the ropes stretched between the minaret balcony and the finial of the dome. Such mahyas, by necessity, can only accommodate shorter messages due to the limited space. Alternatively, the minaret can be illuminated with mahya lights from top to bottom, in a style known as "caftan dressing" (kaftan giydirme).
^Mahyas to light up Turkish mosques during Ramadan. Hurriyet Daily News. 12 April 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2022
^In the new literature, mahyas are extinguished (in Turkish). Türkiye Gazetesi. 4 May 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2022
^The art of light that comes with Ramadan: mahya (in Turkish). İST Dergi. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022
^Learn about the mahya, the ornaments of Ottoman mosques during Ramadan (in Arabic). Turk Press. 23 May 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2022
^"Mahya" - İslam Ansiklopedisi (in Turkish). Retrieved 12 October 2022
^Keeping an old art alive: Mahyas adorn Istanbul's minarets. Daily Sabah. 28 March 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022
^Mosque lights tell faithful to stay home. Hurriyet Daily News. 29 April 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2022
January 29, 2023
mahya, lights, decorative, lights, which, strung, between, minarets, turkish, mosques, form, illuminated, words, pictures, festive, occasions, such, fitr, ramazan, bayramı, adha, kurban, bayramı, kandil, nights, throughout, holy, month, ramadan, unique, part, . Mahya lights are decorative lights which are strung up between the minarets of Turkish mosques to form illuminated words or pictures on festive occasions such as Eid al Fitr Ramazan Bayrami Eid al Adha Kurban Bayrami on Kandil nights and throughout the holy month of Ramadan 1 Mahya lights are a unique part of traditional Turkish festivities They can also occasionally be seen on some mosques in the Balkans such as in Bosnia Herzegovina Albania North Macedonia northeastern Greece and other countries which were formerly part of the Ottoman Empire Mahya lights stretched across the minarets of the Blue Mosque in Istanbul spell out traditional Ramazan Bayrami wishes Let us love Let us be loved Contents 1 Etymology 2 History 3 Variations 4 See also 5 ReferencesEtymology EditThe word mahya is derived from Ottoman Turkish mahiyye ماهيه ultimately from Persian mah ماه meaning month This is in reference to the lights being put up mainly during the month of Ramadan In some Arabic sources the word is spelt maḥya محيا a verbal noun that means reviving of the night the similarity is coincidental and the two words are otherwise not etymologically related History Edit Early mahya lights such as in this painting by artist Husnu Tenguz 1876 1950 spelt out words in Arabic script before the spelling reform of the 1920s Here the mahya lights form the word مرحبا Merhaba Hello Although the practice of lighting decorative oil lamps on holy nights dates back to the earliest centuries of Islam the tradition of assembling lights between minarets to create words appears to have originated with the Ottomans It is not known exactly when mahya lights were first displayed However they were featured as early as 1578 in the German orientalist Salomon Schweigger s travelogue Eine newe Reyssbeschreibung auss Teutschland nach Constantinopel und Jerusalem In February 1588 Sultan Murad III decreed that mahyas be lit on Kandil nights Mahya lights were also recorded during the reigns of Selim II and Ahmed I Mahya lights have even influenced the architecture of certain mosques In 1723 during the reign of Ahmed III the Grand Vizier Nevsehirli Damat Ibrahim Pasha ordered that two tall minarets be raised for the Eyup Mosque so that mahyas could be strung up from them the mosque originally had one squat minaret Sometimes a second minaret would be erected for this purpose by popular request as in the case of the Mihrimah Sultan Mosque in the Uskudar district of Istanbul One notable mahyaci was Sehzade Mehmed Seyfeddin the youngest son of the Sultan Abdulaziz Mahya lights are an iconic symbol of Turkish public celebrations and have become deeply ingrained in Turkish culture In 1920 when festivities were toned down during the Armistice period and the Occupation of Istanbul the Turkish novelist Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoglu wrote nostalgically in the newspaper Ikdam for the return of the mahya lights 2 We are filled with innocent and sweet memories of Ramadan Some of us miss the previous iftar tables some of us the mahyas some of us the exhibitions in Beyazit these fragrant buns these hot pitas in short we are all longing for something Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoglu The lights also made an impression on foreign visitors such as the poet Theophile Gautier who was in Istanbul for Ramadan 1854 3 The view from the Tepebasi promenade was magnificent On the other side of the Golden Horn Constantinople was gleaming like the crown of an Eastern emperor the balconies of the minarets of the mosques were decorated with oil lamp bracelets verses from the Qur an were shining from one minaret to the next like fiery letters written in the sky from the pages of a holy book At the New Mosque Suleymaniye and all the temples of Allah from Sarayburnu to Eyup mahyas were shining brightly and proclaiming the formulas of Islam with fiery sentences Theophile Gautier Other visitors described the lights in equally glowing terms saying The Turks have succeeded in bringing down the stars from the sky and using them to write between the minarets 4 In the modern era mahyas almost exclusively consist of electric lights having replaced the older oil lamps Nowadays Latin letters are more often used instead of traditional Arabic script which was predominant before the 1930s 5 Variations Edit Mahyas at the New Mosque as photographed from the Galata Bridge Mahya lights at the Zeki Altindag Mosque in Konya The lights are often arranged to form Islamic words of devotion La ilahe illallah There is no god but God well wishes on the arrival of Ramadan Hos geldin on bir ayin Sultani Welcome Sultan of Eleven Months or short sayings promoting charity peace and goodwill Infak et mutlu ol Give and be happy Muminler kardestir All Muslims are brethren Sevelim sevilelim Let us love let us be loved An example of Mahya lights outside Turkey Gezuar Ramazanin Happy Ramadan at the Et hem Bey Mosque in Tirana Albania As the mosque has only one minaret the mahyas are conveniently stretched between the minaret and the nearby Clock Tower of Tirana Mahyas can also consist of pictorial designs Motifs such as roses daffodils the Maiden s Tower boats ferries pavilions fountains bridges mosques trams and even gun carriages have been displayed A skilled mahyaci can go so far as to design animated mahyas that appear to be moving adding to their aesthetic quality Mahyas are not always strictly confined to religious festivals On occasions such as the visit of Reza Shah of Iran to Istanbul special mahyas were commissioned to mark the event Mahyas with specific patriotic messages were also put up during World War I Remember the Red Crescent Love of the Fatherland is part of faith Do not forget the muhacirs and during the Turkish War of Independence Long live independence Long live the Misak i Milli To commemorate the establishment of the Turkish Aeronautical Association the minarets of Selimiye Mosque in Edirne were adorned with the association s logo a stylised aeroplane During the COVID 19 pandemic messages such as Ramadan is the month of recovery could be seen 6 7 On mosques with a single minaret the mahyas can be slightly inclined with the ropes stretched between the minaret balcony and the finial of the dome Such mahyas by necessity can only accommodate shorter messages due to the limited space Alternatively the minaret can be illuminated with mahya lights from top to bottom in a style known as caftan dressing kaftan giydirme See also EditKandil Fairy lights Rope lightReferences Edit Mahyas to light up Turkish mosques during Ramadan Hurriyet Daily News 12 April 2021 Retrieved 12 October 2022 In the new literature mahyas are extinguished in Turkish Turkiye Gazetesi 4 May 2020 Retrieved 12 October 2022 The art of light that comes with Ramadan mahya in Turkish IST Dergi 22 February 2022 Retrieved 12 October 2022 Learn about the mahya the ornaments of Ottoman mosques during Ramadan in Arabic Turk Press 23 May 2018 Retrieved 12 October 2022 Mahya Islam Ansiklopedisi in Turkish Retrieved 12 October 2022 Keeping an old art alive Mahyas adorn Istanbul s minarets Daily Sabah 28 March 2022 Retrieved 12 October 2022 Mosque lights tell faithful to stay home Hurriyet Daily News 29 April 2020 Retrieved 12 October 2022 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Mahya lights amp oldid 1132446878, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
