This paper explores the ways in which the Turkish art of ebru (paper marbling) has been increasingly reimagined by the artists as a Sufi practice of ethical self-formation in contemporary Turkey. This movement has happened under the AKP’s push for a return to neo-Ottoman traditions. Drawing upon fieldwork in Istanbul, I seek to understand how ebru developed from its status in Ottoman Turkey as an art form that decorated manuscripts and served as a background to calligraphic pieces into a stand-alone genre of art in modern Turkey, referred to by many as a “Sufi” art form. I argue that, partly through the efforts of the Turkish government and institutions that seek to advance neo-Ottoman traditions, including artistic and spiritual traditions, ebru has reached a place of prominence in Turkish culture. By surveying how ebru evolved into such an important art form in Turkey, how ebru artists understand the aesthetic expressions through the lens of Sufism both in the practice of the art and visual symbolism, and finally how the government’s neo-Ottoman agenda has worked to promote traditional arts such as ebru, I set out to delineate the intersecting dynamics of art, culture, and religion in the context of modern Turkey. Ebru is one of the numerous traditional Turkish art forms that artists, institutions, and the government are working hard to revive with the goal of preserving and promoting Turkish culture and heritage. In situating this study, I draw from studies of material religion and aesthetics from multiple disciplines. The practice of ebru is directly influenced by the state’s adaptation of “acceptable” Sufism, which has resulted in its elevation of an important art form in Turkey. Apart from teaching the techniques of the art, ebru artists also instill an ethical disposition in their students and claim that they only give ecazets (certificates of mastery) to students who master both the art form and ethical requirements to carry on the art. Traditional Turkish art is one of the many symbols of piety promoted by the AKP and religious segments of society and therefore has received heightened attention and emphasis, even as artists adapt it and merge it with modern art genres. In this context, Sufi practices and ideas have made their way beyond the lodge in the form of art as they have become part of religious and spiritually-inclined segments of Turkish society.