The April Cup in Mevlana Museum Konya Turkey – Chapter 1,
Among the masterpieces in the Mevlana Museum is a footed bowl 65 cm. high and 95 cm. wide made of bronze and decorated with inlaid patterns of gold and silver called the April Cup. On the cover is a figurine of a large cock. It is so large and heavy that one person can only carry in with difficulty, and it is made of four parts, and decorated over its entire surface with miniature writing and motifs. At first glance, it resembles a large soup bowl. To answer the questions of when and for whom it was made one has to look at rumors and documents. April rain has traditionally been considered lucky and holy. The custom of collecting the rain which falls in April in basins and bowls and then scattering it on the crops to bring about a good harvest still live in Anatolia. It is said that the April cup, which has been in Mevlana’s tomb for 650 years, was used to collect the April rains. Then after being left in Mevlana’s Tomb for a few days, it would be distributed to visitors and sick persons as the water of abundance and health. For this reason, it was named the April Cup. Under the feet of the figure of the cock are several birds and on the lid are plant and geometric motifs among which are figures of birds and animals, all damascened in gold and silver. The lid is also decorated with a row of medallions and a line of writing. On the medallions are the figures of people sitting cross-legged. The body of the cup is similarly decorated, except for the designs on the medallions, which include horsemen holding a falcon, rulers seated on their thrones, and sakis holding drinking cups and serving the sultan. The writing includes a poem, the rest being praise of the Sultan.
One of these is a follows: “Exalted padishah, high ruler, leader of nations, the just and wise sultan of sultans Ebu Said Bahadir Han.
You can continue to find more details about The April Cup in Mevlana Museum Konya Turkey in Chapter 2.
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