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Anatolia (Ottoman) · Plant motifs

Servi (cypress)

An evergreen tree reaching to the sky: immortality and paradise.

What does it mean?

In Ottoman tiles and ceramics, the cypress tree is associated with immortality and depictions of paradise [1].

Related plants

  • Juniper: Another evergreen tree held sacred, from the same family as the cypress (Cupressaceae).

Same theme

Lale (tulip)Karanfil (carnation)Hatayi (stylised flower)Penç (rosette)Goncagül (rosebud)Çift dalagan (double nettle)Salkım söğüt (weeping willow)Sümbül (hyacinth)Haşhaş tepelik (poppy finial)Laurel wreath and olive branchBoteh (paisley)Mistletoe and the druids

Sources

  1. Olcay Boratav, Merve Kılıçaslan, “Osmanlı Çini ve Seramiklerinde Kullanılan Ağaç Motifleri”, 2025

Drawing: Bitki Tabanı, interpreted from the traditional motif.