Paul Hepworth, Independent conservator, Turkey

Yekşah: A technique not an identity

The yekşah binding (pronounced yek-shah) is a distinctive Ottoman binding type that has previously received little, if any, research attention. This type of binding seems to have had it origins in the Ottoman imperial workshops of the 17th century and then continued to be adapted and used into the 19th century. It is characterized by the use of fine hatching lines that are tooled onto the gold pattern painted on the leather of the outer covers. These hatching lines, painstakingly applied, cause the gold to be more reflective, thereby adding a sumptuousness to the covers' appearance.

Since most Ottoman royal manuscripts remain in Turkey, restriction of the binding type to the Ottoman imperial court means that it is poorly represented in western collections and relatively unknown there. This paper will first introduce the yekşah binding and its technical innovations to a larger audience. It will describe the making of yekşah bindings and what can be deduced from the bindings themselves about the tools used in their production. This information is contrasted with what binding masters in Turkey today say about the technique and its use.

The paper also contrasts the yekşah binding type with other closely related types from the same period. On a number of different parameters, the production of these other bindings is compared with those that have the identifying hatching lines of the yekşah type. The common and disparate features of these different types of bindings support the conclusion that although the yekşah technique added to the binder's decorative vocabulary, the designation as a separate type of binding is largely misleading. It would probably be more accurate to refer to these bindings as variations of a single type.