# Mahya lights > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mahya_lights > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mahya_lights.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahya_lights > Source revision: 1341155053 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) **Mahya lights** are decorative lights which are strung up between the [minarets](/source/Minaret) of [Turkish](/source/Turkey) [mosques](/source/Mosque) to form illuminated words or pictures on festive occasions such as [Eid al-Fitr](/source/Eid_al-Fitr) (*Ramazan Bayramı*), [Eid al-Adha](/source/Eid_al-Adha) (*Kurban Bayramı*), on [Kandil](/source/Kandil) nights, and throughout the holy month of [Ramadan](/source/Ramadan).[1] Mahya lights are a unique part of traditional Turkish festivities. They can also occasionally be seen on some mosques in the [Balkans](/source/Balkans), such as in [Bosnia and Herzegovina](/source/Bosnia_and_Herzegovina), [Albania](/source/Albania), [North Macedonia](/source/North_Macedonia), northeastern [Greece](/source/Greece), and other countries which were formerly part of the [Ottoman Empire](/source/Ottoman_Empire). ## Etymology The word *mahya* is derived from [Ottoman Turkish](/source/Ottoman_Turkish_language) *mâhiyye* (ماهيه) which translates to "monthly" or "of the month", ultimately from [Persian](/source/Persian_language) *mâh* (ماه), meaning "month". This is in reference to the lights being put up mainly during the month of Ramadan. In some [Arabic](/source/Arabic) sources the word is spelt *maḥyā* (محيا), a verbal noun that means "reviving (of the night)"; the similarity is coincidental and the two words are otherwise not etymologically related. ## History Although the practice of lighting decorative [oil lamps](/source/Oil_lamp) on holy nights dates back to the earliest centuries of Islam, the tradition of assembling lights between minarets to create words appears to have originated with the Ottomans. It is not known exactly when mahya lights were first displayed. However, they were featured as early as 1578 in the German orientalist [Salomon Schweigger](/source/Salomon_Schweigger)'s travelogue *Eine newe Reyßbeschreibung auß Teutschland nach Constantinopel und Jerusalem*. In February 1588, Sultan [Murad III](/source/Murad_III) decreed that mahyas be lit on [Kandil](/source/Kandil) nights. Mahya lights were also recorded during the reigns of [Selim II](/source/Selim_II) and [Ahmed I](/source/Ahmed_I). Mahya lights have even influenced the architecture of certain mosques. In 1723 during the reign of [Ahmed III](/source/Ahmed_III), the [Grand Vizier](/source/Grand_Vizier) [Nevşehirli Damat Ibrahim Pasha](/source/Nev%C5%9Fehirli_Damat_Ibrahim_Pasha) ordered that two tall minarets be raised for the [Eyüp Mosque](/source/Ey%C3%BCp_Mosque) so that mahyas could be strung up from them (the mosque originally had one squat minaret). Sometimes a second minaret would be erected for this purpose by popular request, as in the case of the [Mihrimah Sultan Mosque](/source/Mihrimah_Sultan_Mosque,_%C3%9Csk%C3%BCdar) in the [Üsküdar](/source/%C3%9Csk%C3%BCdar) district of Istanbul. One notable *mahyacı* was [Şehzade Mehmed Seyfeddin](/source/%C5%9Eehzade_Mehmed_Seyfeddin), the youngest son of the Sultan [Abdülaziz](/source/Abd%C3%BClaziz). Mahya lights are an iconic symbol of Turkish public celebrations and have become deeply ingrained in Turkish culture. In 1920, when festivities were toned down during the Armistice period and the [Occupation of Istanbul](/source/Occupation_of_Istanbul), the Turkish novelist [Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu](/source/Yakup_Kadri_Karaosmano%C4%9Flu) wrote nostalgically in the newspaper *[İkdam](/source/%C4%B0kdam)* for the return of the mahya lights:[2] “We are filled with innocent and sweet memories of Ramadan. Some of us miss the previous [iftar](/source/Iftar) tables, some of us the mahyas, some of us the exhibitions in [Beyazıt](/source/Beyaz%C4%B1t_Square), these fragrant buns, these hot [pitas](/source/Pita), in short, we are all longing for something.” — Yakup Kadri Karaosmanoğlu The lights also made an impression on foreign visitors, such as the poet [Théophile Gautier](/source/Th%C3%A9ophile_Gautier), who was in Istanbul for Ramadan 1854:[3] “The view from the Tepebaşı promenade was magnificent. On the other side of the [Golden Horn](/source/Golden_Horn), Constantinople was gleaming like the crown of an Eastern emperor; the balconies of the minarets of the mosques were decorated with oil lamp bracelets; verses from the [Qur'an](/source/Qur'an) were shining from one minaret to the next, like fiery letters written in the sky from the pages of a holy book. At the [New Mosque](/source/New_Mosque,_Istanbul), [Süleymaniye](/source/S%C3%BCleymaniye_Mosque), and all the temples of Allah from [Sarayburnu](/source/Sarayburnu) to [Eyüp](/source/Ey%C3%BCp), mahyas were shining brightly and proclaiming the formulas of Islam with fiery sentences.” — Théophile Gautier Other visitors described the lights in equally glowing terms, saying "The Turks have succeeded in bringing down the stars from the sky and using them to write between the minarets."[4] In the modern era, mahyas almost exclusively consist of electric lights, having replaced the older oil lamps. Nowadays Latin letters are more often used instead of traditional Arabic script, which was predominant before the 1930s.[5] ## Variations The lights are often arranged to form Islamic words of devotion (*[La ilahe illallah](/source/Shahada)* - "There is no god but God"), well-wishes on the arrival of Ramadan (*Hoş geldin, on bir ayın Sultanı* - "Welcome, Sultan of Eleven Months"), or short sayings promoting charity, peace, and goodwill (*İnfak et mutlu ol* - "Give and be happy"; *Müminler kardeştir* - "All Muslims are brethren"; *Sevelim sevilelim* - "Let us love, let us be loved"). Mahyas can also consist of pictorial designs. Motifs such as roses, daffodils, the [Maiden's Tower](/source/Maiden's_Tower), boats, ferries, pavilions, fountains, bridges, mosques, trams, and even gun carriages have been displayed. A skilled *mahyacı* can go so far as to design "animated" mahyas that appear to be moving, adding to their aesthetic quality. Mahyas are not always strictly confined to religious festivals. On occasions such as the visit of [Reza Shah](/source/Reza_Shah) of [Iran](/source/Iran) to [Istanbul](/source/Istanbul), special mahyas were commissioned to mark the event. Mahyas with specific patriotic messages were also put up during [World War I](/source/World_War_I) ("Remember the [Red Crescent](/source/Red_Crescent)"; "Love of the Fatherland is part of faith"; "Do not forget the [muhacirs](/source/Muhacir)") and during the [Turkish War of Independence](/source/Turkish_War_of_Independence) ("Long live independence"; "Long live the [Misak-ı Millî](/source/Misak-%C4%B1_Mill%C3%AE)"). To commemorate the establishment of the [Turkish Aeronautical Association](/source/Turkish_Aeronautical_Association), the minarets of [Selimiye Mosque](/source/Selimiye_Mosque,_Edirne) in [Edirne](/source/Edirne) were adorned with the association's logo: a stylised aeroplane. During the [COVID-19 pandemic](/source/COVID-19_pandemic), messages such as "Ramadan is the month of recovery" could be seen.[6][7] On mosques with a single minaret, the mahyas can be slightly inclined with the ropes stretched between the minaret balcony and the [finial](/source/Finial) of the dome. Such mahyas, by necessity, can only accommodate shorter messages due to the limited space. Alternatively, the minaret can be illuminated with mahya lights from top to bottom, in a style known as "caftan dressing" (*kaftan giydirme*). ## See also - [Kandil](/source/Kandil) - [Fairy lights](/source/Fairy_lights) - [Rope light](/source/Rope_light) ## References 1. [Mahyas to light up Turkish mosques during Ramadan](https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/mahyas-to-light-up-turkish-mosques-during-ramadan-163863). [Hurriyet Daily News](/source/Hurriyet_Daily_News). 12 April 2021. Retrieved 12 October 2022 1. [In the new literature, mahyas are extinguished (in Turkish)](https://www.turkiyegazetesi.com.tr/kultur-sanat/yeni-edebiyatta-mahyalar-sondu-701423). Türkiye Gazetesi. 4 May 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2022 1. [The art of light that comes with Ramadan: mahya (in Turkish)](https://www.istdergi.com/sehir/mekan/ramazanla-gelen-isik-sanati-mahya). İST Dergi. 22 February 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022 1. [Learn about the mahya, the ornaments of Ottoman mosques during Ramadan (in Arabic)](https://www.turkpress.co/node/49442). Turk Press. 23 May 2018. Retrieved 12 October 2022 1. ["Mahya" - İslam Ansiklopedisi (in Turkish)](https://islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/mahya--ramazan). Retrieved 12 October 2022 1. [Keeping an old art alive: Mahyas adorn Istanbul's minarets](https://www.dailysabah.com/arts/keeping-an-old-art-alive-mahyas-adorn-istanbuls-minarets/news). [Daily Sabah](/source/Daily_Sabah). 28 March 2022. Retrieved 12 October 2022 1. [Mosque lights tell faithful to stay home](https://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/mosque-lights-tell-faithful-to-stay-home-154302). Hurriyet Daily News. 29 April 2020. Retrieved 12 October 2022 --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mahya lights](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahya_lights) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mahya_lights?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.