Ali Uskudari – subway artist and palace master
Istanbul always rewards you if you take the time to stop and look around. So it was that on an outing in Istanbul to research another article when I discovered Ali Uskudari’s work. I wasn’t in a museum. The photos accompanying this post are reproductions of his work in tile, on the walls of Bağlarbaşı metro station.
Who was Ali Uskudari?
Ali Uskudari was an 18th century book illuminator and master of lacquer art, and as his name suggests, he was originally from Üsküdar on the Asian side of Istanbul. While the exact dates of his birth and death aren’t recorded, his work is. He was a specialist in painting flowers at a time when Ottoman artists were taking inspiration from Baroque and Rococo styles.
Ali Uskudari was one of a long line of talented artists who came to work in Topkapı Palace in the nakkaşhane. Nakkaş means miniaturist and one of the most famous of these was Şahkulu. Şahkulu was a Baghdad painter exiled from Tabriz to Amasya in northern Turkey in 1514. He then came to work in Topkapı Palace between 1520 and 1526. During that time he introduced many new motifs to Ottoman art and artists.
Şahkulu’s most notable student was an individual called Kara Mehmed Çelebi, or Kara Memi for short. He was a famous illustrator from the 16th century whose work can be seen in the tiles adorning Topkapı Palace today. His most famous contributions are for flower styles using roses, tulips, hyacinths and carnations. At a time when botanical science and drafting were transforming art in Europe, Kara Memi developed a more naturalist perspective to textile and ceramic design, separate from the more stylised design of the miniaturists.
Ali Uskudari benefited from the heritage left by all these great masters, but is best known for his developments in the direction taken by Kara Memi. In his delicate, lively floral works Uskudari illustrates a genre of his own creation known as şufuke. Şufuke illustrations feature flowers, often in miniature, and are a blend of botanical expertise and artistic beauty.
Examples of Uskudari’s art work dating from 1723 to 1761 can be found in the Topkapı Palace Museum, the Turkish and Islamic Works Museum and the Istanbul University Library. His legacy includes laquered skin book covers in writing pads and other illuminations, in particular the Mecbua-i Gazelliyat, a folder containing 30 different illustrations of flowers and varying interpretations.
If you want to discover more of the everyday extraordinary of life in modern Istanbul, follow me via this blog as well as on Instagram and Facebook.
Planning to come to Turkey? Here are my helpful tips.
Before you even buy your plane ticket, check whether you need an EVISA. Here’s my post on everything to know before you take off, including how to buy one from the government website so you don’t pay extra.
Even if I never claim on it, I always take out TRAVEL INSURANCE. I recommend Visitors Coverage.
eSIM are the way to stay connected wherever you travel. I recommend Truely, an eSIM provider working with local telcos. You can buy it before or after you arrive in Turkey, a convenience other esim providers no longer offer and can opt for 1 to as many days as you need, instead of being limited to 7, 15 or 30 days. Plus you can reload as you need. Truely eSIM are straightforward to install and activate but if you have any problems their responsive Whatsapp customer service is available 24/7.
Use my code: insideoutinistanbul and get 5% off when you order through the Truely website.
ACCOMMODATION: When I want to find a place to stay I use Booking.com.
For FLIGHTS I like to use Kiwi.com. Once you land the next decision you’ll have to make is how to get to your hotel. I’m a big advocate of public transport, but know it’s not suitable for everyone all the time. When I need to be picked up from or get to Istanbul Airport or Sabiha Gokcen Airport, I use one of these GetYourGuide AIRPORT TRANSFERS.
If you’re travelling alone, check out this post on useful solo travel tips Turkey for women (and men).
Now that’s all the practical stuff out of the way, here’s the fun stuff.
CITY TOURS & DAY TRIPS: Let me guide you around Kadikoy with my audio walking tour Stepping back through Chalcedon or venture further afield with Istanbul 50 Unsung Places, my bespoke guidebook. I know you’ll love visiting the lesser-known sites I’ve included. It’s based on using public transport as much as possible so you won’t be adding too much to your carbon footprint. Then read about what you’ve seen and experienced in my three essay collections and memoir about moving to Istanbul permanently.
Browse the GetYourGuide website or Viator to find even more ways to experience Istanbul and Turkey with food tours, visits to the old city, evening Bosphorus cruises and more!
However you travel, stay safe and have fun! Iyi yolculuklar.
