A study on minai ceramics produced in Iran and Anatolia in the 12th and 13th centuries

Ceramic art, which is one of the oldest branches of art with the archeological findings of the periods which it belongs to, has emerged with the requirements since the centuries of human existences. The works of art have survived to the present day with the original forms of the period, changing and developing culture of ceramic art, interactions of different civilizations. In order to express humankind's lives, wishes, desires and thoughts, traditions and by using the effects of external and internal forces; they need to decorate the forms by personalizing them and using their own interpretations. Gaining aesthetics of ceramics in terms of surface enhances the formalism and aesthetic effect of the decor. The art of Minai ceramics, which was developed and in Iran in the 12th and 13th centuries during the Great Seljuk period in which produced Rey and Kaşin city centers, is one of the most interesting ceramics with their rich colour diversity, subjects, patterns and technical features, One of the most interesting ceramics of the Islamic World and Anatolia. There was not much variety other than forms such as plates, bottles and bowls in ceramics produced by events inspired by miniatures, figurative compositions, subjects, stories, legends, heroic epics from Iranian literature, which was the fashion of the period. Thanks to the colour diversity of the technique, it was possible to use seven colours in the structure. The colours used in the application have two different application properties which are in-glaze and over-glaze painting. In this thesis, there are some information about ceramic art, its decor and varieties of this art, techniques of construction, and examples of Minai technique from world museums and important artists of this technique. This study was prepared in order to provide a source for people interested in this art and to examine the art of Minai from a scientific point of view.