As Ramadan approaches, the glow between mosque minarets once again defines the skyline, carried forward by 70-year-old craftsman Kahraman Yıldız, widely referred to as the “last mahya master,” and his small team.
Mahya, an Ottoman-era tradition involving illuminated inscriptions suspended between twin minarets, continues to serve as a visual marker of the holy month. Historically created with oil lamps and today executed with electric bulbs, the practice combines calligraphy, engineering precision and physical endurance at extreme heights.
Yıldız and his two assistants are responsible for installing Ramadan-themed mahyas at some of the most prominent mosques across Türkiye.
In Istanbul, their work adorns the minarets of the Sultanahmet Mosque, Süleymaniye Mosque, Eyüp Sultan Mosque and Valide-i Atik Mosque.
Beyond the metropolis, their installations also illuminate the Selimiye Mosque in Edirne, northwestern Türkiye and the Ulu Mosque in Bursa, northwestern Türkiye.
At the start of Ramadan, messages such as “Welcome, O Month of Ramadan,” “The Sultan of the Eleven Months,” and “Fast and Find Health” are displayed, while inscriptions later shift to phrases marking the closing days of the holy month, including “There is no god but Allah” and “Farewell, O Month of Ramadan.”
Yıldız said he has practiced the craft for more than 50 years and continues the work despite officially retiring in 2013. “This is an ancestral profession. It must be passed on,” he said, noting that while younger people have shown interest, the demanding physical conditions have discouraged many from continuing.
Mahya installation involves working tens of meters above ground, often in challenging weather. Wind and rain, Yıldız said, remain the biggest operational risks. “We aim to complete all installations before Ramadan begins, but conditions in the minarets can change quickly,” he added.
Yıldız highlighted the technical complexity of working at Selimiye Mosque, where the distance between minarets reaches around 40 meters (131.23 feet) and inscriptions can span nearly 80 meters in height.
The mosque’s unique three-balcony minarets prevent team members from seeing each other while ascending, adding another layer of difficulty.
Tracing the roots of the tradition, Yıldız noted that mahya dates back roughly 450 years and was first commissioned during the reign of Sultan Ahmed I. The earliest examples were displayed at the Sultanahmet Mosque, establishing it as the birthplace of the art form.
Mahya is a traditional form of illuminated writing created by hanging lamps or electric bulbs on ropes stretched between the twin minarets of mosques, primarily during Ramadan.
Originating in the Ottoman period in the 17th century, it functions as both a visual message and a public form of religious communication, conveying short moral reminders, prayers or greetings to the wider community.
