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Deri Rahleler

The oldest narration about the lectern is about Ömer b Abdülaziz (d. 101/720). The caliph told his
mawla Muzâhim to get a rahlat, and after he personally made this order from a wooden board
belonging to the beytulmâl (fisc), he had the price determined and demanded that 2 dinars be paid
to the treasury instead of half a dinar In a painting dated to the years 800-810 in the West, it is
seen that Saint Matthieu (Matthew) is depicted writing his Bible on a high coffee table like a rahle
(lectern) with a one-legged, tilted table in front of him while sitting in a chair. The oldest examples
of collapsible lecterns that emerged from the 13th century Baghdad school in the descriptive arts
belong to the 13th century and are of Anatolian Seljuk style. Wood, which was used as plain wood in
the early periods, has continued its development by undergoing changes both in terms of form and
decoration within a wide chronology from the 13th century to the end of the 19th century. In terms of
form, the first lecterns were in the form of long-legged tables, but in later periods, seats were added
and they were placed in a fixed place in large size. These lecterns, which have no mobility, have covers
for placing books and a chair for sitting. Over time, great changes have occurred in the size and
shape of the lecterns. It is possible to find many examples of lectern depictions in Islamic miniatures,
the early example of which is in the form of a coffee table or table, in Uyghur paintings. These lecterns,
which were made by applying the Çatma technique, were arranged on four legs, mostly high from the
ground in madrasahs. Apart from reading books, these types of examples were also used as drawing
tables and ornament tables in art workshops, especially by miniature-illumination artists.

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