Finials dating from the Anatolian Seljuk period
that have survived to the present day are all
carved from solid blocks of white marble. In
the Ottoman period, on the other hand, with
the exception of a few ceramic finials found
on buildings in and around the city of Tokat,
they were always made from bronze, iron, copper
or gilded copper. Hollow inside, they consist
of separate base, body and crest riveted together.
The base is generally hemispherical and either
ribbed or fluted, and the body knopped. The
crest is the most eye catching part, and may
be in the form of horns, a crescent, a horseshoe
or a lily. One face is always turned in the
direction of Mecca, and in some cases they are
engraved with verses from the Koran. Standards
used by the mystic orders were usually surmounted
by the symbol of the order.
An interesting example of an Ottoman Turkish
finial is to be seen on a church in Hungary
near to the tomb of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent.