EVENTS

Prof. Hülya Tezcan is a faculty member at Nişantaşı University, Department of Textile and Fashion Design.

In the Topkapı Palace Sultan's Dresses Collection, there are approximately one hundred works consisting of eighty-seven talismanic shirts, a collar, five skullcaps, and ten printed covers.  It was believed that these shirts protect people against diseases and various evils, heal sick people and make the wearers victorious in the war. The talismanic shirts were sewn from cotton fabrics that had paper properties. The verses of the Qur'an, the beautiful names of Allah, symbols, caligraphy, embroideries, and geometric shapes consisting of numbers (cifr) and phrases (vefk) were written on them.  In the Topkapı Palace Collection, there are more modest talismanic shirts used by dervishes, as well as shirts belonging to sultans and dynasties decorated with gilded, very valuable caligraphy and illuminations. These talismanic outfits are a very interesting synthesis of book arts and Ottoman clothing customs.

In this talk, Prof. Hülya Tezcan, who has been the curator of the Topkapı Palace Sultan Dresses Collection for many years, will give an overview of this collection and explain the importance and diversity of the works. Tezcan will share her experiences about this collection, which presents a rich archive for reviewing the textile works of Islamic culture.