Turkish tea (or coffee) with the Sultan

Is it possible to take Turkish tea or coffee with the sultan? You might not think so. But look carefully at the glassware.

recognising the sultan’s insignia

When you next order a Turkish coffee or a tea, have look at the glass of water that comes with it. If you are lucky, it will have an elegant sweep of gold lines on it. This is a tuğra, a sultan’s cipher and now a symbol of Ottoman Turkey. Putting it on Turkish tea or coffee glasses is just a fashion. But a trip to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul may enable you to come home with a tea set in the tulip shape or just a few plain water glasses, all emblazoned with tuğras.

the three parts of the insignia

But what is the origin of this artwork? Opinions are divided, though there is a fair chance that the original design goes back well before the Ottomans. There are basically three main parts to a tuğra:

1. The part at the base contains the sultan’s name, his filiation and the title ‘ever victorious’, all in Arabic script;

2. To the left, two concentric ellipses (the eggs) run in parallel lines to the margin of the paper to the right (the arms);

3. Finally, three vertical, arrow-like strokes, often with curvy pennants occupy the centre. These may represent the handprint of the sultan, or the mark of his three fingers dipped in ink and trailed on the document.

the origins

Of course, the tuğra was not designed to decorate Turkish tea or coffee cups. We should probably look further back, to the time when the people of central Asia roamed the steppes with their flocks. Branding or any other way of telling the animals apart, would have been a necessity. According to Raşid-al-Din, the Turkish and Mongol people used a mark (tamga) both to stamp their decrees and brand their livestock. Each of the 24 Oğuz tribes, the founding fathers of the Turkish nation, had its own logo, a combination of vertical and other strokes. That is where the arrows come in. Arrows play an important part in early Turkish history as an expression of power. Archery was important to their military success. Oğuz Turks traditionally belonged either to the ‘Great Arrow’ (Bozok) or to the ‘Three Arrows’ (Üç Ok). In addition, the election of the early Seljuk sultans apparently included a ritual based on arrows.

the insignia as decoration

With the Ottomans, the tuğra became codified as a symbol of power. It was the sultan’s personal signature. He did not draw it himself: a dedicated school of calligraphers was in charge. As the firmans (the sultan’s official decrees) multiplied, the artwork was simplified and standardised while at the same time embellished with the application of gold and colour. With time, the sultan’s mark made its way onto coins, flags, stamps, passports, official monuments, buildings and warships. And eventually, it began to appear on china and glass, which is how we can take Turkish tea or coffee with the sultan.

the insignia worldwide

Beyond the Ottoman Empire, we find tuğras in Iran; in Mongol India; and in Mamluk Egypt. An example has even been traced in the Crimea. In 1836, the governor issued a passport to a Polish doctor on his way to work in Istanbul. It bore the tuğra of Czar Nicholas I, probably modelled after a coin, and was intended to add authority to the document and ensure that Ottoman officialdom would supply the three horses and the necessary assistance to enable doctor Radzionski to reach his destination as soon as possible. Something to think about next time you enjoy cup of Turkish tea or coffee.

by Paola Pugsley. Paola is currently working on a guide to European Turkey. For her other Turkish titles, published digitally by Blue Guides, see here.