Rifâî Gül Objects: Form, Function, and Symbolism in the Case of Edirne Museum Collection

Abstract

The subject of this article is ten Rifâî gül objects from the collection of the Turkish-Islamic Arts Museum, part of the Edirne Archaeology and Ethnography Museum. All of the objects, preserved in the museum’s storage, are designed in the form of a stylized snake/dragon, consisting of an inverted U-shaped, curved and flattened head and a long handle. These ritual objects, used in the burhān ceremonies of the Rifâiyye order, are heated in a fire until red-hot and then extinguished by contact with the tongue or the body. In this way, the scene of fighting the dragon -regarded in Sufi circles as a sign of both miraculous power and spiritual maturity- is ritually reenacted. Within this framework, the iconography of fire, iron, the gül, and the dragon intertwines in Rifâî ritual practice, acquiring multilayered symbolic meanings and constructing a holistic narrative. The objects were examined in terms of their formal and symbolic characteristics and production process, showing they were made with common materials and techniques. In addition, by considering spatial and historical contexts, the study aims to determine their place and period of production. In this context, inventory records identify two of the objects as belonging to the İbn-i Meddas Abdülhalim Tekke in Istanbul, while it is suggested that the remaining eight may have belonged to one or more Rifâî tekkes in Edirne. By evaluating the institutional development of the order alongside the founding and activity periods of the tekkes directly or indirectly connected to the objects, it is proposed that the Rifâî gül objects under study may date to the 19th century. The study concludes that, beyond serving as functional ritual tools, the Rifâî gül objects are works of art imbued with profound symbolic meaning and, in terms of historical context and aesthetic value, constitute significant cultural documents.