In the late 15th century, artisans in the town of Iznik in western Anatolia (present-day Turkey) made a minor change that had an enormous impact in the realm of ceramics. At this time, Chinese porcelain was highly valued by the Ottoman court, and though they could not make actual porcelain, craftsmen tried to imitate such by adding quartz to the traditional clay body for tiles and pottery. This new technique gave the ceramics a brighter white base that allowed their favored colors (turquoise, cobalt, malachite, and coral) to stand out even more.

Of course, sultans at the time favored this refined, new work, so the tiles, now referred to as Iznik çini (pronounced “chee-nee”), were used in public spaces and important buildings like mosques, tombs, libraries, and palaces throughout the area. Examples of Iznik tile exist in cities such as Istanbul, Bursa, Edirne, and Adana. In Istanbul, the famed Sultan Ahmet Mosque or “Blue Mosque” is noted as such because it contains more than 20,000 blue and white Iznik çini tiles in its interior. Other examples that contain great amounts of these beautiful tiles are the Rüstem Pasha Mosque and the Topkapi Palace, also located in Turkey’s largest city.

But the notable thing about the Ottoman imitation of porcelain was that it was so striking and so well done by Iznik artisans that it really became an adaptation. Though Chinese elements were combined with Ottoman arabesques (plant motifs), the style truly took its own shape. The craftspeople of Iznik produced some of the most beautiful ceramics from tiles to vessels and even some everyday ware. After the late 16th century though, the quality began to decline, likely due to economic factors and increased imports of Chinese porcelain. The demand, in turn, quickly declined, and with the fall of the Ottoman Empire, the prized innovation became a pastime.

Today there is a bit of a revival in the lost art, work being done by the Iznik Foundation to promote the cultural and artistic values of the town. Bringing back this laborious 16th century craft is not easy though, for it takes about 70 days to make a single tile. First, artisans make a base, called the biscuit, composed of 85% locally sourced quartz and the remaining 15% of clay and silica. After the biscuits are dried and covered with a thick underglaze, they are baked in a kiln. The intricate part of the process follows, whereby the motif for the tile is drawn on paper then perforated with a needle and transferred to the biscuit with charcoal dust before being outlined and painted with natural colors. The final step is the glaze, made of a thick off-white secret formula that has been passed down through generations only by word of mouth.

The colorful ceramics of Iznik are not just a timeless Turkish souvenir but can offer us inspiration on our own artistic journeys. The Iznik artisans can be appreciated for their craft and, more importantly, their ingenuity. They so gracefully transformed the age-old process of ceramics with their changing times and aesthetics. Their craft illustrates the rich cultural heritage of the region and the influence it has had over the years. So even though Iznik çini has undergone a lot in the last few hundred years, the beauty and intricate detail of their work will forever be found.

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