The origins of the ascending arches design in Anatolian rugs, known commonly as ‘bacali’ from chimneystack in Turkish, may go as far back as mankind’s Neolithic period.
There is a clear resemblance between the design and the many step-monuments, altars related to the ancient cult of Cybele, the goddess of gods.
Arguably, the motif of the step-monuments appearing in numerous village rugs (tulu) was adopted and integrated into the Islamic faith in the course of more recent history.
The antique kilim from the collection of Sonny Berntsson (below) discussed earlier, best illustrated my thesis.
The same motif appears also in the contemporary Central Anatolian kilim formerly in the author’s collection
However, there seems to be more; if viewed from the side (profile) these monuments may be reflected in the motif of stepped mihrab which is very common in many Islamic prayer rugs, but most frequently in those from the areas of Anatolia where such step-monuments are a common sight.
The geometry of Cybele’s altars proved relatively easy to execute in coarse wool works by nomads and villagers, however, sections of these altars may have given rise to more than one form of the Islamic niche.
The top part of the altar, perhaps a throne, appears to be replicated in numerous prayer rugs across Islamdom and beyond.
Early Armenian Christian manuscripts feature similar forms which perhaps also are reflected in the image of the aureole.
This may suggest that the ancient monuments left scattered across Anatolia following the fall of the Hittite empire may have provided the basis for the visual continuation of the objects of worship by various ethnic and religious groups inhabiting the area.
The small gold pendant of a goddess with a child, circa 1400 BCE from Central Anatolia. (MMA 1989.281.12) may have been an archetapal model,
a proto-madonna figure which later gave rise to the cult of mother and child.
Only through the study of art, in the earliest forms, may we unearth the foundations of religion.
Piotr Wesolowski
