Words and concepts such as icon, symbol, stamp, sign, insignia, indicator, brand, symbol, emblem and trademark, basically have the same meaning. It is the concrete depiction of an idea or concept that cannot be perceived by the senses, having the common denominator of conventional meaning. In addition to symbols that can be defined as abstract signs, objects that replace something or depict it themselves also function as symbols.

The work of art and the general art style are influenced by many factors such as the social environment, material supply, geographical variables, temporal changes, the government, the wishes of the ruling powers, the artistic understanding and style of the period, ancient and neighboring state cultures, religion and sacred elements, the experiences and inner world of the artist. It is affected by many variables. In addition to these, conditions such as the technology of the period, tools and construction techniques also have an impact. In Turkish art and symbolism, where the powers of state, religion and society come to the fore, these mentioned elements are the dominant and guiding force. 

Firstly, it is necessary to mention some concrete artistic symbol contents in Turkish art. For example, in terms of building architecture, “mosque” symbolizes Islam. While the mosque is one of the art symbols that have a concrete function, the symbol and decoration content included in the mosque has abstract features. On the other hand, “arrow” and “bow” are concrete war tools as objects, but the “bow-arrow” form engraved on the surfaces has become an abstract and artistic symbol. In this context, meaningful abstract symbols are sometimes based on meanings attributed to objects that have equivalents in nature, and sometimes on mental productions that have no equivalents in nature. In the second case, geometric shapes are widely preferred as tools for new and original symbols in Turkish art. While vegetal forms are generally transferred verbatim or stylized from similar examples in nature; It is abstract based on geometric forms and there is no need for stylization in practice.

Figural decorations were used in two types: fantastic and natural. New species resulting from fantastic combinations of different species and figures encountered in nature have been symbolized through art and different meanings have been attributed to them. Predatory and powerful animals representing political power can be given as an example of this symbolization. Stylization can be seen in figural symbols and ornaments to the point of almost turning into vegetal ornaments. Although fantastic figures are not visible, they are not considered in the category of abstract art because they are created by the combination of two animal (or sometimes human and animal) figures existing in nature.

Arts based on symbols and decoration continued through various evolutions until the end of the reign of the Great Seljuk and later Anatolian Seljuk states. Ornamentation maintained its importance in portable arts as well as in architecture. “Ornament”, as it is understood in our language today, refers to the compositions created by decorative elements on any surface or each of these elements. However, in the first sense of the word that comes to mind, the purpose here is not to fill the surface meaninglessly. The motifs, symbols and figures applied to the surface are carefully selected and applied as parts of an established tradition and the general style that was being created during the period.

Geometric arrangements, one of the main types of decoration, are the preferred tools for reflecting abstract symbolic art content in a certain order. Geometric ornaments were used in early Islamic arts in the Umayyad Period and mostly in the Abbasid Period; In Turkish art, it started to develop together with the Karakhanids. Subsequently, the Ghaznavid and Great Seljuk states used rich geometric arrangements in almost every field. This tradition was transferred and continued to Anatolia through the Anatolian Seljuks. It is also known that indigenous ancient civilizations in Anatolia used geometric arrangements in both architecture and pottery. Unlike decoration, the origin of symbolic geometric forms can be traced in rock painting regions such as Kyrgyzstan Saymalitas, Kazakhstan Tamgalısay and Azerbaijan Qobustan, which is among the Central Asian cultural regions. Examples that are the continuation of rock paintings start from the east of Anatolia and extend to the central and western regions.

If “Stamp-Tamga” is defined in a classically, it is the tool used to print a mark or insignia on something, and the sign itself is printed with this tool. Certain concrete and abstract shapes symbolically remind every community, nation, and state. These shapes are generally meaningful forms specific to that culture. Stamps are special signs that are used mostly by societies of Turkish origin, meaning the expression of belonging, membership, independence element, tribe-lineage unity, national membership and holiness.

Stamps that turned into motifs, which is a phase in the transformation of stamps are a concept that emerged over time when the symbolic meanings in the background of the stamps were not recognized or known by the viewers. These elements, which are placed as symbols by the maker, are considered motifs and compositions for decorative purposes only. When taking step back and the symbolic aspect of geometric arrangements is investigated, the abstract symbolic content of the Turks is reached.

Geometric arrangements whose meanings are not yet known cannot be considered in the symbol category. Stamps are created by stylizing objects that have counterparts in nature. As a result of this stylization, the art viewer cannot know from which object the symbol was originally derived. This situation makes the symbol abstract. 

Symbols are not always encountered as artistic content in terms of purpose. In this regard, for symbol to be defined as art, its functional aspect must be put in the background and its artistic aspect must be prioritized. If a symbol is presented in different forms in the public domain, without being part of mass production, this makes it part of art. This subject, which is like the difference in meaning between art and craft, can be interpreted as a work of art that displays unique features each time, as well as uniform elements, produced dozens of times. “Symbol” alone is not the subject of art. However, the symbol transformed into a work or included in the content of the work is the subject of art.

Abstract symbolic content in Turkish art is mainly formed by Oghuz tribal stamps that signify national identity. In an artwork, stamps from different tribes are carefully placed by the artist, varying in number, size, and material. In addition to the tribal stamps found in Turkish culture and art, there are also more general sacred-common (superior) stamps that express common meanings. These common stamps are widely used in Turkish art. Unlike tribal stamps that convey belonging, common stamps are abstract symbols representing beliefs and sacred meanings. It is known that after the original purpose of stamps was fulfilled, they transformed into letters and writings as a means of communication. Initially known as stamps, these letters, with some modifications or directly turned into letters were put together to form words. However, at their core, they are all stamps. These letters, stylized as motifs, are repeatedly used in almost every element of Turkish art with an abstract meaning. 

Abstract symbols in Turkish art can be classified (in an open-ended manner) as national identity stamps, common identity stamps, sacred stamps, and letter stamps that have been transformed into the alphabet, based on existing data. Nearly all these symbols have geometric and angular lines and are characterized by abstract forms that do not refer to real objects. These symbols, applied with fine craftsmanship, are essentially messages and are reused in works of art by being stylized as motifs. 

These rich types of stamps found in every corner of Anatolia are important artistic contents in terms of Turkish abstract symbolic style. Abstract symbols are original products of the imagination. Understanding and examining the abstract symbolic language of a nation is essential for its art and symbolic history. After decoding the original meanings of these symbols, which are both abstract and concrete sources, they should be further examined for their effects and reflections on the art object.

As a result, according to the available data, it can be said that there is an “abstract symbolic art style” that takes shape depending on the ancient Turkish culture and art and derives from Turkish stamps. This style indirectly penetrated art in terms of meaning during its period. Turkish art, which emerged because of the shaping of many political, religious and social factors emphasized in the relevant section, also includes the abstract symbolic style as a subheading. This style reveals the richness of mental and abstract thinking of Turkish states and communities.

This study mentions the existence of the “abstract symbolic style” in Turkish art, which has not been brought to the fore sufficiently before. The “Abstract Symbolic Turkish Art Style”, which was introduced to the scientific world for the first time with this publication, should be examined with the methods and classifications that are the basis of science and should be developed with more symbolic and iconographic studies.