REFLECTIONS OF NOMADIC TOMBSTONES ON DÖŞEMEALTA HALISI

Abstract

This study examines the interaction and reflections between the ornamentation repertoire found on tombstones in Yörük cemeteries within Antalya province and its vicinity, and the motif language employed in Döşemealtı carpets. Conducted during the 2025 academic year, the research systematically documented the shapes and details on tombstones and carried out a comparative analysis with the motifs, compositions, and color schemes of Döşemealtı carpets. The aim is to elucidate the channels of iconographic transmission that emerge between static (tombstone) and portable (carpet) surfaces in the material culture production of nomadic Yörük communities, in terms of formal similarity, typological continuity, and semiotic correspondences. The methodology comprises on-site observation and photographic documentation, pattern/contour extraction, the construction of motif typologies, and comparative iconographic analysis. Selected figures from tombstone ornamentation were matched with equivalent or derivative motifs in Döşemealtı carpets with respect to linear structure, rhythm, the balance of filled and void spaces, hierarchical placement, and color relationships. The findings indicate that specific formal elements observed on tombstones are represented on carpet surfaces through two principal modes: (i) direct transmission, whereby the form is reproduced as a motif with close fidelity; and (ii) stylistic adaptation, whereby the core schema is preserved while contour, proportion, and color are modified in alignment with local aesthetics. The identified parallels cluster especially around geometric arrangements, organic branch/shoot analogies, and zoomorphic associations.The assessment reveals that this iconographic affinity is not confined to visual resemblance alone; rather, it signals a multilayered cultural transmission reinforced by naming practices, craft techniques, and mechanisms of social memory. Technical choices that demonstrate continuity in carpet production (wool yarn preparation, natural dyestuffs, knotting technique) and a restricted yet semantically charged color palette are observed to align with the logic of emphasis and contrast in tombstone ornamentation. In this context, it is concluded that the spatial experience generated by nomadic mobility and the locality and continuity represented by tombstones converge into a shared visual language on the Döşemealtı carpet. The results demonstrate a meaningful iconographic and semiotic continuity between the formal configurations of Yörük tombstones in and around Antalya and the motifs of Döşemealtı carpets, realized along axes of direct quotation and stylistic reinterpretation. The research posits reciprocal nourishment and pattern transfers between funerary art and textile art with respect to the origins of the regional weaving tradition. For future studies, it is anticipated that typological mapping with a larger sample, dating through dye and material analyses, stylometric comparisons, and ethnographic interviews with practicing artisans will elucidate naming and meaning-attribution processes and reveal the temporal depth of this iconographic trajectory. This direction is expected to make concrete contributions to the documentation, preservation, and transmission strategies of regional cultural heritage.