Origin Story
The reference for this work is a Mamluk-period glass mosque lamp that once hung in the mosque of Sultan Berquq in Cairo. Lamps of that era were never mere sources of illumination; they were a symbolic embodiment of the idea of "divine light becoming one with the space". Enamelled, inscribed and suspended under high domes, they translated verse into architecture.
The Meaning of the Pattern
The upper band of the lamp carries the most celebrated verse in the literature of Islamic lighting: Surah An-Nur, verse 35 — "Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth…". Around the body, curving rumî scrolls stand for infinity, order and divine harmony; their rhythm tightens and relaxes along the lamp's silhouette, carrying the inscription on an even tide.
The Çini Project Interpretation
In our workshop the historical lamp has been re-read as a wheel-thrown ceramic piece 49 cm in height. The original arrangement of decoration has been preserved, while the rumî rhythm has been adjusted to the contraction and opening of the form — giving the piece a balanced movement.
The palette is built from the visual language of the glass original, rewritten in tones suited to under-glaze ceramic technique. Turquoise and a dark ground carry the composition; red accents give it depth and a measured beat. From glass to ceramic, the work underlines how beauty and meaning continue across materials — we revive a historical light in the language of ceramic today.
Signatures
Design adaptation & application: Gül Camadan