Glazed ceramics finds from Ani excavations (2019-2023)

Ceramics, which have a history as deep-rooted as the history of humanity, are historical documents that have survived through the ages to the present day. Found in many different regions of the world, ceramics reflect the geographical and cultural characteristics of the region and form the identity of the society living in that region. One of the ancient cities of the Middle Ages, Ani has been home to many civilizations, and with the conquest of the city by the Great Seljuk Empire, it has been historically recorded as the first city where Turks entered Anatolia. Ani is also the starting point of Turkish Islamic art in Anatolia. A rich variety of movable and immovable cultural assets from this period have survived to the present day. Unearthed as a result of excavations in the city and dated mainly to the Great Seljuk period, glazed ceramics constitute an important part of these cultural assets. Although these artifacts mainly reflect Iranian glazed ceramic art, they are considered as products of the ceramic school under Turkish-Islamic influence that developed in the Caucasus and Anatolia. Ani's location on the historic Silk Road has led to the blending of Far Eastern influences and local stylistic features, resulting in the development of a style unique to the region. This study, which includes the first samples of glazed ceramics belonging to the Turks in Anatolia, unearthed from the Ani excavations between 2019-2023, consists of original artifacts that have never been the subject of any scientific publication before. In the study, artifacts consisting of intact and broken pieces with eleven different glaze techniques were examined. The ceramics in the study were analyzed in terms of material, type, form, technique and decorative features and their drawings were given. These artifacts were compared with the glazed ceramics of the Byzantines and Georgians who lived in Ani and with the samples of neighboring Armenia in order to identify their similarities and differences. A comparative evaluation was also made with the glazed ceramics of the Golden Horde period of Azerbaijan and Crimea, which have close similarities with the glazed ceramics of Ani. It has been determined that the Ani samples share common characteristics with the glazed ceramics of Syria, Egypt and Iraq, especially Iran, where the most important works of Islamic ceramic art were produced. Even similar samples considered to have been imported from these regions were examined in the study. By comparing the glazed ceramics of Ahlat, Samsat, Hasankeyf, Kubadabad, Alanya and Harran, which were important cities of the Middle Ages in Anatolia, an attempt has been made to indicate the similar stylistic features of Ani ceramics with the Anatolian Turkish Islamic ceramic art. Evaluating the first samples of Turkish Islamic ceramic art in Anatolia, this study aims to fill an important gap in the literature. Key Words: Kars, Ani, Great Seljuks, Ceramic, Glaze.