Sultan Ahmad Square, A Place Full of Culture and History

You can’t go to Istanbul without visiting Sultan Ahmad Square. This archaeological and tourist area is characterized by mosques, churches, restaurants, gardens, and museums. The most famous place is the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, or the Blue Mosque, alongside the Eminono area, the Egyptian market, and the closed market. Due to its importance, this area is visited daily by about 2 million visitors, both Turkish citizens, and foreign tourists!

The Municipality of Istanbul allocates places for the sale of handicrafts in Sultan Ahmad Square in order to revive the heritage. Many of the handicrafts go back to Ottman period.  Al-Araby TV Network reporter stated that the Municipality of Istanbul offers special privileges to owners of such crafts and provides them with the appropriate place to display their products.

Abdullah Gul Toutan, a miniature painter, told Al-Araby TV Network that:

“I introduce people to one of the Ottmani art which is Gilding Arabic calligraphy. Also, drawings that depict the culture of the Ottoman society.” 

Ottoman miniature or Turkish miniature was an art form in the Ottoman Empire, which can be linked to the Persian miniature tradition. It was a part of the Ottoman book arts, together with illumination, calligraphy, marbling paper, and bookbinding. The words taswir or nakish were used to define the art of miniature painting in Ottoman Turkish.

Abdullah Toutan aims to convey the message of his ancestors to the next generation through this kind of art.

Knitting women’s, men’s, and children’s have their own significance. Aisha Karjan, a traditional dress maker, stated:

“Participating in such atmospheres brings joy into our hearts because many of our people do not know that this craft was born in the city of Fethiye in Turkey”

Have you ever visited the magnificent Sultan Ahmad Square In Istanbul? if you have, tell us about your experience in a comment below!