Natural Stone from the Perspective of Turkish Islamic Art

The topic of this episode of the interview series "StoneArchive - Interviews with Experts" published in the Current-Agenda section of StoneArchive website is " Natural Stone from The Art History Perspective ", and the guest is Architect, Turkish Islamic Art Historian, academic, and Chair of the Scientific Board of the Istanbul Research Institute, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Baha Tanman.

Stone has been more than just a material that holds structures together in architectural history; it has also served as a carrier of meaning, power, continuity, and memory. From the ideals of permanence in ancient times to rare stones associated with sacredness and prestige; from monumental structures used as the language of empires to surfaces that reveal time through their patina, stone has taken on different symbolic meanings across various periods and cultures. In this interview with Prof. Dr. Baha Tanman, we explore the historical and cultural journey of natural stone in architecture within the context of Turkish-Islamic, Byzantine, Western, and Eastern architectural traditions, discussing the aesthetic, technical, and meaning dimensions of stone from an interdisciplinary perspective. With his insights, Tanman invites us to reconsider how stone shapes the identity and memory of a structure.