Anatolia (Ottoman gravestones) · Plant motifs
Haşhaş tepelik (poppy finial)
A poppy capsule on top of a gravestone: death and eternal sleep.
What does it mean?
On some 19th-century Ottoman gravestones in the village of Tavlusun near Kayseri, the stone narrows into a short neck topped by stylised leaves and, at the very top, a plant finial resembling a poppy capsule. According to the researcher, the motif stands for death and eternal sleep [1]. In weavings too the poppy is linked to magical power and eternal sleep; an 18th-century carpet in the Konya Museum is cited as an example [2].
Related plants
- Opium poppy: The plant of the motif; its link with sleep comes from opium.
Same theme
Sources
Drawing: Bitki Tabanı, interpreted from the traditional motif.