Lines of Empire: Ottoman Calligraphy in Everyday Urban Life
Lines of Empire: Ottoman Calligraphy in Everyday Urban Life
This lecture explores the presence of Ottoman calligraphy beyond imperial mosques, tracing its role in fountains, schools, libraries, tombstones, and marketplaces. These inscriptions were not only aesthetic statements but also vehicles of meaning, embedding sacred texts into the daily rhythms of Istanbul’s urban life. By situating epigraphic works within both architectural context and social practice, the talk highlights how calligraphy shaped the city’s cultural memory and spiritual landscape. Participants will discover how Ottoman calligraphers transformed the written word into a public art form that bridged devotion, beauty, and civic identity.
Ottoman Calligraphy; Istanbul Urban Culture; Inscriptions; Sacred Spaces; Cultural Memory
· Instructor: Yasemin Sönmez (Master Calligrapher; PhD Candidate, Istanbul University)
· Date: November 19, 2025 (Wednesday)
· Time: 20:00–21:00 (Istanbul) · 12:00–1:00 PM (Boston, ET)
· Duration: 1 hour | Format: Live / Online | Free Admission
Yasemin Sönmez is a master calligrapher and researcher specializing in Islamic calligraphy and the history of monumental inscriptions. Born in Ankara, she was originally trained as a chemical engineer, while cultivating early interests in photography, Turkish music, and the violin.
In 2011, she began formal studies in sülüs–nesih calligraphy, which soon evolved into a professional artistic path. She earned her MA in 2018 from Selçuk University’s Faculty of Fine Arts, focusing on calligraphy, painting, bookbinding, and restoration. Since then, she has expanded her expertise by studying ma‘kılī, rik‘a, and dīvānī scripts in addition to sülüs, nesih, and celī sülüs under the guidance of masters Davut Bektaş and Ali Toy in Istanbul.
In 2023, she began her doctoral studies in the Department of Islamic Arts at Istanbul University. Her academic and artistic practice centers on the history of calligraphy, the Hagia Sophia complex, and Islamic manuscripts. She continues to reinterpret calligraphy as a living art form, integrating classical training with contemporary expression through watercolor, abstract compositions, and innovative calligraphy-painting techniques. Based in Ankara and Istanbul, she works across both scholarly and artistic platforms, bringing the richness of Islamic calligraphy to a global audience.