Journal of Ottoman Calligraphy

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History of the Museum

The building today known as the Horse Mansion on a hill between Emirgan Park and the Bosphorus stands in what was once the grounds of a waterfront mansion. Between 1848 and 1884 the original mansion belonged in turn to Süleyman Re’fet Paşa and his wife Fatımatüzehra Hanım, Musevi Hoca Misak, Mustafa Reşid Paşa’s wife Adile Hanım, Küçük Mehmed Ali Paşa of Egypt, Mustafa Naili Paşa, Maksudzade Simon Bey, Khedive İsmail Paşa, the Egyptian government, and Khedive Mehmed Tevfik Paşa. In 1884 it was purchased by the Ottoman Treasury on the orders of Sultan Abdülhamid II and presented as a gift to King Nicola I of Montenegro. For the next 30 years it was both a royal residence and the Montenegran Embassy. In 1913 the Ottoman government repossessed the mansion and sold it to Behiye Sultan, the granddaughter of Sultan Mehmed V Reşad. In 1925 the now derelict mansion was purchased by Prince Mehmed Ali Hasan, grandson of Khedive İsmail Paşa, and he commissioned the architect Edouard de Nari to build the present house. However, it remained unused for many years until Princess İffet, the elder sister of Prince Mehmed Ali Hasan, made it her home in 1944. In 1949 Hacı Ömer Sabancı began looking for a house in which he and his family could spend the summer months, and in 1951 purchased the mansion from the sons of Prince Mehmed Ali Hasan. After he purchased the bronze statue of a horse at an auction held in Mahmud Muhtar Paşa’s house in Moda, and placed it inside the entrance gate of his mansion in Emirgan, the house became popularly known as Atlı Köşk or Horse Mansion. (more…)

The Turkish National Library is one of the youngest national library in the world. The works of foundation was laid in a small office in the Ministry of National Education,Directorate of Publications on April 15,1946 and a collection of 8000 works were accumulated in a short time. On April 1,1947 the library was temporarily moved to another building and during this period the collection reached 60,000. The building in the above picture was allocated in order to put the collection into service and the TNL was opened to users on August 16,1948. With the enactment of the Establishment Law on March 29,1950, the TNL assumed a legal identity. Foundation of a Bibliographical Institute working under the TNL was ensured the “Supplementary Law to the Establishment Law of the Turkish National Library “dated May 18,1955. Considering that the first building would not meet the future needs, planning of a new building was started in 1965. The construction work began after a long period of planning during 1965-73, and the building was completed in 1982. The TNL started serving its users in the new building on August 5,1983 The Library is built on a space of 39.000 square meters, and is large enough to enable the addition of new modules. The TNL building consisting of three modular blocks, shelters the administrative offices, general and special purpose reading rooms, group study rooms, staff rooms, study rooms for fine arts, and ventilated stores equipped with fire alarm systems. Here are also an exhibition hall and two multi-purpose meeting and concert halls. New activities have been initiated in the new building including Data
Processing Center, Talking Books Department, Atatürk Documentation Center and Biography Archive, Map Room, Microfilm Archive, fully equipped Printing House using off-set printing techniques Microfilm and Photography Laboratory.

Collected catalogue of Printed Works of Turkey, Arabic Lettered Turkish Works (1729-1928)

Up till now five volumes have been published by the presidency of National library and preparations continue for volume VI.

Türkiye Basmaları Toplu Kataloğu Arap Harfli Türkçe Eserler (Collected catalogue of Printed Works of Turkey Arabic lettered Turkish Works) 1729-1928 Vol. I, Part I (A-Ali el Karî ) Ankara 1990

Türkiye Basmaları Toplu Kataloğu Arap Harfli Türkçe Eserler (Collected catalogue of Printed Works of Turkey Arabic Lettered Turkish Works) 1729-1928 Vol. I, Part 2 (Ali Kâzım Aznavur) Ankara 1990

Catalogue of Manuscripts of National Library

Publishing has started in 1987 under the name of Milli Kütüphane Yazmalar Kataloğu (Catalogue of Manuscripts in National Library). Initial corrections of volume VI named Milli Kütüphane Divanlar Kataloğu (Catalogue of the manuscripts of collected Poems in National Library) has been completed and preparations are going on.

Volume I: (General topics, Metaphysics, Secret Sciences) Ankara 1987

Volume II: (Secret Sciences, Psychology, Logic, Philosophy) Ankara 1988

Volume III: (The Religion of Islam, Sciences related with Koran, Commentary (for Koran)) Ankara 1992

Volume IV: (The sayings of Prophet Muhammad) Ankara 1994

Volume V: ( Religious precepts and study of Koran,Akaid ve Kelam) Ankara 1997

Collected Catalogue of Manuscripts of Turkey

National Library is responsible for specifying the bibliographical identities and publishing catalogues; of the manuscripts existing in libraries and museums connected to Ministry of Culture firstly and later on, those existing in the libraries of some state institutions and some persons.

The following activities have been completed within the scope of the project being implemented since 1978:

1- TÜYATOK 1- The first catalogue covers the manuscripts in the libraries of; Atatürks Mausoleum (16 works, Presidency of the Republic (34 works),Turkish Grand National Assembly of Turkey (104 works) and Public Library of Adıyaman Province (132 works). In
this volume there are bibliographical introduction of totally 286 manuscripts /pamphlets. (Ankara 1979).

2- TÜYATOK 2: The Second catalogue includes the manuscripts belonging to the Public Libraries of Giresun, Ordu and Rize provinces. In this volume there is bibliographical introduction of totally 619 manuscripts/pamphlets.

3- TÜYATOK 3 (34/I): In this catalogue that covers the books belonging to Istanbul Süleymaniye Library - Ali Nihat Tarlan Kolleksiyonu (Collection of Ali Nihat Tarlan) there are bibliographical introduction of 425 manuscripts in total (Ankara 1981).

4- TÜYATOK 4-8 (07/l-V) : This catalogue consists of volumes 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 and five separate fascicles and covers manuscripts from the districts and province of Antalya (namely Antalya Province Museum, Alanya District Museum, Akseki Yeğen Mehmet Paşa Library Elmalı and Tekeli District Public Libraries. Totally 4.042 manuscripts / pamphlets are introduced in this catalogue (Istanbul 1982 -1984).

5- TÜYATOK 9 (34/II): İn this catalogue covering the collection Merzifonlu Kara Mustafa Paşa Kolleksiyonu in Istanbul Bayezid State Library totally 467 manuscripts are introduced. (Ankara 1984).

6- TÜYATOK 10-12 (01/I-III): In this catalogue, consisting of 3 values, totally 2592 manuscripts belonging to Public Library and Museum of Adana Province are introduced. (Ankara 1985 - 1986)

7- TÜYATOK 13 (34/III): İn this catalogue (volume 13) that covers the manuscripts in the collection, Amca Zade Hüzeyin Paşa ve Hekimbaşı Musa Nazif Efendi Kolleksiyonu in İstanbul Süleymaniye Library totally 630 manuscripts are introduced (Ankara 1987).

8- TÜYATOK 14-18 (05/I-V): It was foreseen to publish this catalogue in five volumes, in the published first four volumes (14-05/I, 15-05/II, 16-05/III and 17-05/IV) namely, Amasya İl Halk Kütüphanesi Yazmaları Kataloğu(Catalogue of Manuscripts in the Public Library of Amasya Province), totally 2994 works / pamphlets are introduced. (Istanbul 1990 -1995). By the last fifth volume (TÜYATOK 18-05 / V) which is being published at the printing house of Faculty of Literature Istanbul University 1190 more books / pamphlets will be introduced.

9- TÜYATOK 19 (34/IV): This catalogue, in which 1155 works / pamphlets are introduced, covers the manuscripts in the collection Mustafa Aşir Efendi Koleksiyonu in İstanbul Süleymaniye Library (Ankara -Printing house of National Library, 1994).

10- TÜYATOK 20 (03): In this volume published under the name of Afyon ili Yazmaları (Manuscripts of Afyon Province) totally 1952 works / pamphlets, (1938 works from Afyon Gedik Ahmet Paşa Public Library 12 works from Afyon Province Museum, 2 works from Dinar District Public Library) are introduced under 1185 principal titles (with catalogue serial numbers) (Ankara, Printing house of National Library 1996).

11- TÜYATOK 21 (10): In this catalogue, published under the name of Balıkesir İli Yazmaları Kataloğu (catalogue of the Manuscripts of Balıkesir Province) totally 2715 works / pamphlets i.e 2439 works in Balıkesir Province Public Library, 185 works in Dursun Bey District Public Library, 91 works in Edremit. District Public Library, are in traduced under 1246 principal titles. (With catalogue serious numbers) (Ankara, Printing-house of National Library, 1997).

12- TÜYATOK 22 (18) : In this catalogue published under the name of “Çankırı İl Halk Kütüphanesi Yazmaları kataloğu” (Catalogue of the Manuscripts in Çankırı Province Public Library), totally 1076 works / pamphlets are introduced under 683 principal titles. (Ankara, Printing-house of National Library, 1998).

13- TÜYATOK 23 (32) (Ankara, Printing House of National Library, 2000).

14- TÜYATOK 24 (15) (Ankara, Printing House of National Library, 2000).

Valuable manuscripts, previously in the province and district Libraries of Isparta and Burdur and later handed over to Konya Bölge Yazmaları Kütüphanesi (Library of Regional Manuscripts in Konya) in 1994 are catalogued within the scope of TÜYATOK and published under the names of Türkiye Yazmaları Toplu Kataloğu Burdur I, II and Türkiye Yazmaları Toplu Kataloğu Isparta (Collected catalogue of Manuscrupts of Turkey, Burdur I, II and Collected catalogue of Manuscripts of Turkey, Isparta). These catalogues were published within the scope of activities related with Osmanlı Bilim ve Kültür Mirasının 700. Yıldönümü Anma Etkinlikleri i.e Activities for Commemoration of the 700th Anniversary of Ottoman Empire´s Cultural Inheritance). The content of the catalogues covers the following works.

1687 volumes of manuscripts and 3100 books / pamphlets in Burdur Province Public Library,
795 volumes of manuscripts and 1263 books / pamphlets in Isparta Halil Hamit Paşa Public Library,
474 volumes of manuscripts and 1080 books / pamphlets in Uluborlu District Alaaddin Keykubat Public Library.
247 volumes of manuscripts and 516 books / pamphlets in Yalvaç District Ali Rıza Efendi Public Library,
109 volumes of manuscripts and 260 books / pamphlets in Şarkikaraağaç District Public Library,
3 volumes of manuscripts and 11 books / pamphlets in Senirkent District Public Library.
1 volume of manuscript and one book / pamphlet in Aydoğmuş District Public Library.

All these catalogues cover totally 3316 volumes of manuscripts, 6231 books / pamphlets and 3594 principal titles.

Contact

Milli Kütüphane Baskanligi
Bahcelievler son durak 06490
Ankara/Turkey
Tel : + 90 312 222 41 48 / + 90 312 222 38 12
PBX : + 90 312 212 62 00
Fax : + 90 312 223 04 51

Source: Turkish National Library

Mustafa Izzet was born in Tosya in 1216 H. After his father’s death he was sent to Istanbul. Happening to cath the attention of Sultan Mahmud II he was taken into the Saray, where he was trained and educated. He learned Thuluth and Naskhi from the calligrapher Mustafa Vasif Efendi and Ta’Iiq from Yesarizade Mustafa Izzet Effendi. He received an icazet from both his teachers. He had a very fine voice and also practiced music. He was appointed to the Saray imamlik during the reign of Sultan Abdülmecid.
He produced eleven copies of the Qur’an, a number of Delails and En’ams, some two hundred Hilyes and a number of panels in a very fine Naskhi in the style of Hafiz Osman. He was responsible for the large round panels in the Ayasofya Museum.
He had a large number of pupils, and trained some very fine calligraphers including Sefik Bey, Muhsinzade Abdullah, Vahdeti, Abdullah Zühdü, Kayiszade Osman, Arif of Carsamba, Mehmed Hilmi and Ilmi Effendi. He died in 1293 H. and was buried in the graveyard of the Kadiri Dergahi (dervish convent) in Tophane.

As his name indicates he was born in Kütahya. He learned the art of calligraphy from Mustafazade Süleyman Effendi, a pupil of Ibrahim of Rhodes. He died in 1202 H.

Hacizade Mustafa was born in Cengelkoy, but the dates of his birth and death are uncertain. In the “Hattatlar Seceresi” written by the calligrapher and court tutor Mehmet Vasfi Effendi he is mentioned as having received his icazet from Mustafazade Süleyman Effendi.

He was born in Istanbul, and was the grandfather of the Suyolcuzade Mehmed Necib who wrote a work entitled “Devha-tül Kuttab” on the subject of Turkish calligraphers.
He learned the art of calligraphy and received his icazet from Dervish Ali “Birinci”, a pupil of Halid Erzrumi. He himself taught Hafiz Osman, one of his very numerous pupils. He flourished during the reign of Sultan Mehmed IV.
He wrote some fifty copies of the Qur’an, a large number of En’ams, prayer books and Murak’kas. He died in 1097 H. (1685) and was buried in the Eyup cemetery.

Mehmed Said was a native of Istanbul and resided in the Mahmutpasa district. He learned the art of calligraphy and received his icazet from Sekerzade Mehmed Effendi. He was a very prolific calligrapher. He died in 1192 H. (1774)

Mehmed Giridi was born in Crete and came to Istanbul to study the art of calligraphy He learned calligraphy and received his icazet from Hafiz Osman Effendi, and later engaged in discussions with the calligrapher small bin All of Agakapi on the subject of calligraphy. He died in 1165 H.

Mehmed Sekerzade was born in Manisa, but the date of his birth is uncertain. He came to Istanbul and took lessons in Thuluth and Naskhi first from Abdullah Kirimi and later from Seyid Abdullah of Yedikule, from whom he received his icazet. An illuminated Quran written in the style of Sheikh Hamdullah was published by the Ministry of Education in 1312 H. (1888).

Mehmed Izzet Effendi was born in Istanbul in 1257 H. We do not know from whom he received his icazet, but he is known to have written a very beautiful Thuluth and Naskhi and to have written the Rik’a script in a very pleasing style peculiar to himself. He taught writing in various schools including Galatasaray Lycee. Two of his books of calligraphy models for students have been published. The inscription on the dome of the German Fountain in Sultanahmet bears his signature. He died in 1320 and was buried in the Yahya Effendi cemetery in Besiktas.

Mehmed was born in Besiktas in Istanbul. The cognomen “imamzade” indicates that his father was an imam. The works that have survived display great delicacy and finesse in the use of Naskhi script. He died in 1165 H.

Mehmed was the grandson of Mustafa Dede, the son of Sheikh Hamdullah. He learned the art of calligraphy from his father, from whom he also received his icazet. In Thuluth and Naskhi he imitated the style and character of the script used by his grandfather. He died ca. 1001 H. and was buried near the grave of his grandfather in the cemetery of Karacaahmet.

His date of birth is uncertain but he is known to have been born in Daghistan and to have arrived in Istanbul with his father Sheikh Murad Effendi at a very early age. Although his interest in calligraphy led him to apply to several calligraphers for lessons he was of such a difficult disposition that no one would accept him as a pupil and he was obliged to teach himself the art of calligraphy by examining calligraphic models and karalamas by the great masters. In Nashki he followed Hafiz Osman while in Thuluth and Jeli he created an individual style of his own.
His wife Esma Ibret Hanim was also a calligrapher of great merit. He died in 1245 H. and was buried in the cemetery of the Sheikh Murad Tekke (dervish lodge) at Eyup.

Mahmud II was taught the art of calligraphy first by Gebecizade Mehmet Vasfi Efendi and later by Ustad Mustafa Rakim. He was particularly interested in Naskhi, Thuluth and Jell Thuluth. Several very fine panels written by Mahmud II in Jeli Thuluth are to be see in a number of Istanbul mosques and museums. He died in 1255 H.

Kamil Effendi was born in Istanbul in 1278 H. He learned Thuluth and Naskhi from the great calligrapher Sami Effendi, from whom he also received his icazet. He later learned from the same teacher the art of the tughra and Divani script. He held the post of teacher of writing in the Divan-i Hümayun Kalemi (Secretariat of the Imperial Chancery). In 1914 he was appointed teacher of Thuluth and Naskhi in the Medrese-tul Hattatin, in 1918 teacher of writing in Galatasaray Lycee and in 1936 teacher of calligraphy in the Academy of Fine Arts.
He was twice invited to Egypt, where he left a considerable number of very fine works. He died in 1360 H. and was buried in the cemetery at Eyup.

Hulusi Effendi was born in Istanbul in 1286 H. He learned Ta’liq from Haci Arif Bey of Carsamba and Sami Effendi, and Thuluth and Naskhi from Muhsinzade Abdullah Bey. He was teacher of writing in Darüssafaka Lycee and the Medresetül Hattatin.
Hulusi Effendi was one of the greatest Turkish masters of Ta’Iiq and Ta’liq Jeli. He spent his whole life, however, in financial distress and poverty. He died in 1358 H. The recent calligraphers Halim Ozyazici and Kemal Batanay were two of his most distinguished pupils.

Halil Mir Tevkii was the son of one All Pasha. The dates of his birth and death are uncertain, but he is known to have lived during the reign of Sultan Mahmud I, to have learned calligraphy from Hüseyin Habli and to have been appointed to a position in the Saray.

The great master of calligraphy Sheikh Hamdullah was born in Amasya in 840 H. He founded his own individual school of calligraphy and was generally known as “Kible-tül Kuttab” (paragon) of Turkish calligraphers
In the section dealing with the history of calligraphy we have already mentioned how he came to Istanbul and was appointed teacher of calligraphy in the Palace’s school by Sultan Bayezid II. Here we shall confine ourselves to a brief account of the great changes he brought about in the art of calligraphy.
Sheikh Hamdullah developed the Thuluth and Naskhi scripts, which have survived with very little change to the present day, from the Muhakkak and Tevki scripts, which up to that time had been written in the style of Yakut. He devoted his whole life to the art of calligraphy, producing forty-seven Qur’ans and innumerable En’ams, Evrads and Cuz. Topkapi Saray Museum contains two exquisite copies of the Qur’an.
This great master of calligraphy died in 926 H. and was buried in the cemetery of Karacaahmet.

He was known as Haci Arif of Carsamba because he lived in that district of Istanbul. He learned Thuluth and Naskhi from Hasim Effendi, an apprentice of Mustafa Rakim, and Ta’liq from Kibrisizade Hakki and Melek Pasazade Ali Haydar Bey. Arif Bey displayed great skill in istifs and musennas in Jeli Thuluth. These exquisite works aroused great admiration and appreciation. Ant Bey was also a master of the tughra. He died in 1310 H. and was buried in the Yavedud cemetery near Eyup.

Ali Effendi learned Thuluth and Jeli from Kazasker Mustafa Izzet’s favorite pupil Sefik Bey. He produced some very fine compositions and was one of the most highly regarded masters of the time, gaining very considerable renown.

Ismail bin Ali was a native of Istanbul. He received his icazet in Thuluth and Naskhi from Hoca Mehmet Rasim Efendi of Egrikapi. He was also interested in Ta’Iiq script and took lessons from Katipzade Mehmet Refi Efendi. He died in 1164 H. and was buried in the cemetery at Eyup.

We know neither the date of his birth nor the date of his death, but in view of the fact that his teacher ibrahim Hanif, from whom he learned both Thuluth and Naskhi, died in 1189 H, (1771), he can be assumed to have lived in the twelfth century of the Hegira (eighteenth century A.D.).

Abdullah of Yedikule was the favourite pupil of the celebrated calligrapher Hafiz Osman Efendi, and we know from the register of calligraphers that he received his icazet in 1102 H. He achieved great beauty and perfection in his use of Thuluth and Naskhi and was awarded both praise and protection by Sultan Ahmed Ill. He produced twenty-four Qur’ans as well as a number of Enams, Evrads, Kit’as, Murak’kas and Hilye-i Serifs. He had a large number of pupils. Most of his works are preserved in the Nuruosmaniye Library. Abdullah Effendi was greatly loved and admired by his teacher. He used the name Seyyid to indicate that he was descended from the family of the Prophet. He bid farewell to this transitory world in 1144 H.

Abdülmecid learned the art of calligraphy and received his icazet from Mehmet Tahir Efendi, a faithful disciple and devoted pupil of Mahmud Celaleddin, the founder of his own individual school of calligraphy. Panels written by Abdülmecid in Thuluth and Jeli in the style of Celaleddin are to be found in several Istanbul mosques and museums, particularly in the mosques of Dolmabahce and Ortakoy. He died in 1861 at the age of thirty-eight.

Abdullfettah was born on the island of Chios in 1230 H. He was brought to Istanbul at a very early age and educated under the patronage of Husrev Pasha. He learned Thuluth, Jeli and Naskhi from a calligrapher of the name of Mustafa Sakir Effendi and received his icazet in 1847. He was employed first in the Secretariat of the Grand Vizier and subsequently in various government posts in Anatolia. In 1857 he was appointed designer of coins in the Imperial Mint, and was sent to Vienna and Paris for further professional training. He died in Vanikoy in 1314 H. and was buried in the garden belonging to the tomb of Sultan Mahmud.

Ismail Zühdi was a native of Unye and the elder brother of the calligrapher Mustafa Rakim. He learned Thuluth and Naskhi from Ahmet Hifzi Effendi of Fethiye, from whom he received his icazet. He was appointee Court tutor in calligraphy and trained a large number of pupis, the most distinguished of these being his own brother Mustafa Rakim.
He died in 1221 H. and was buried in the cemetery at Eyup.

Ahmed Ziya was born in Istanbul in 1286 H. He studied in Kuleli Military School and in the Military Academy from which he graduated as an officer. He learned Thuluth and Naskhi from Hulusi Effendi, a pupil of Sevki, and Jeli Thuluth from Sami Effendi. He was also a graduate of the Sanayi-i Nefise (Academy of Fine Arts), which he entered in 1309 H. He was a good painter. He also studied ilmi nucum (astronomy). He was appointed muvakkit (time-Keeper) in the Muvakkithane of Eyup Mosque. He ater taught mathematics, cosmography and mechanics in the Halicioglu Military Lycee.
This distinguished calligrapher, painter and scholar died in 1357 H. and was buried in the cemetery at Silivrikapi.

Hafiz Yusuf was born in Anatolia but migrated to Istanbul. He was keenly interested in calligraphy and received his icazet from Ibrahim Rodosi. He learned the niceties of the art of calligraphy from Hoca Mehmet Rasim Effendi of Egrikapi, and was appointed teacher in Galatasaray Lycee.
He died in 1201 H.

Yusuf was a native of Istanbul. He was born in the district of Tophane but his date of birth is uncertain. He was the slave of Demirci Agha, who cast the metal for the cannons in the foundry belonging to the Corps of Janissaries, and was thus generally known as ‘Demirci KuIu’ (save of the iron-worker).
He learned the art of calligraphy from Dervish Mehmed Celebi, a pupil of Ahmet Karahisari, and from Abdullah Kirimi. He was responsible for the Jeli inscriptions in the mosque built by the famous Turkish seaman and Admiral Kilic All Pasha at Tophane. The date of his death is given in the Tuhfe-i Hattatin as 1020 H., and in the Hattatlar silsilesi by Gebecizade Mehmed Vasfi Effendi as 1018 H. He is buried in the cemetery belonging to the Karabas tekke (dervish lodge) at Tophane.

Mehmed Esad Yesari was a native of Istanbul. He was born paralysed down the right hand side of his body, which gave rise to the nickname “Yesari” (left-handed). He learned the art of calligraphy from the master of Ta’Iiq script Mehmed Dedezade and very quickly gained his icazet. (1167 H.).
He trained a considerable number of pupils and his writings and inscriptions are to be seen on many mosques, tombs, fountains, imarets, etc. in Istanbul. His son Musfafa Izzet Effendi was, like his father, a master of Ta’liq script.
He died in 1213 H. and was buried in the vicinity of the Fatih Mosque.

Yahya Fahreddin was born in Istanbul and was generally known as Sari Yahya (Yahya the Fair) of Tophane. He was the son of one Osman Effendi. His date of birth is uncertain, but he is known to have learned the art of calligraphy from Anbarizade Dervis Ali and to have continued his studies after the death of his teacher with Hüseyin Habli Effendi, from whom he received his wet in 1138 H.
He wrote fifteen copies of the Qur’an and was responsible for the inscriptions over the doors of the Nuruosmaniye Mosque. He died in 1169 H. and was buried opposite the Sheikh Murad tekke in Eyup.

Yahya Hilmi was born in Istanbul in 1249 H. He learned the art of calligraphy from Hasim Effendi, a pupil of Rakim, and Halil Zühdi Effendi. His Thuluth, and more particularly his Naskhi, were remarkable for their perfection of style and attractive appearance. The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts contains a very large-scale Qur’an. He was a very rapid writer.
This great calligrapher died in 1325 H. and was buried in the graveyard of Süleymaniye Mosque.

Mehmed Vasfi was a teacher in the Palace’s school and widely known by the cognomen Gebecizade”. The date of his birth is uncertain, but he is known to have learned the art of calligraphy from Ebubekir Rasid Effendi and to have received his icazet in 1181 H. He was a teacher of calligraphy to Mahmud II.
He was a very prolific calligrapher and wrote twenty copies of the Qur’an, a large number of Delails and En’ams, over two hundred Hilyes and a large number of Murak’kas and Kit’as. He had a great many pupils, including a number of outstanding calligraphers such as Ata Effendi, Mustafa Effendi, Vasif Effendi and Eyyubi Mehmed Rasid Effendi.
He died in 1231 H. and was buried in the graveyard of the Mercan Mosque.

Tahsin Hilmi was born at Tophane in Istanbul in 1263 H. He learned Thuluth and Naskhi from Sefik Bey and Ta’Iiq from Sami Effendi. He held the post of teacher of penmanship in various school in Istanbul, including the Kiz Muallim Mektebi (Teacher Training School for Girls), and the Darüssafaka and Galatasaray Lycees.
He died in 1330 H. and was buried in the cemetery at Eyup.

Mehmed Sevki Effendi was born in Kastamonu in 1245 H. He was brought to Istanbul at a very early age and learned Thuluth and Naskhi from his uncle Hulusi Effendi. He received his icazet at the age of fourteen. In spite of his teachers insistence he refused to continue his studies with any other teacher and confined his further studies to an examination of the calligraphic models prepared by Kazasker Mustafa Izzet Effendi. He taught Hüsnü Hat (penmanship) in the Ministry of War and in a number of schools. In Naskhi script he adopted the style of Hafiz Osman and small Zühdü while in Thuluth and Jeli he followed Mustafa Rakim. He left a number of very fine pieces, most of them istifs. He was one of finest exponents of the Hatti icaze.
He died in 1304 H. and was buried in the Merkez Effendi cemetery.

Sefik Bey was born in Besiktas in Istanbul in 1235 H. He began to study calligraphy with Ali Vasfi Effendi and, after the death of his father, continued his studies with the greatest calligrapher of the time, Kazasker Mustafa Izzet Effendi. He was later appointed teacher of calligraphy to the officiais in the Saray. Sultan Abdulmecid sent him, together with the calligrapher Abdulfettah Effendi, to Bursa to repair the inscriptions in the UIu Djami, which had been severely damaged in the earthquake of 1855. During the three years he spent on these repairs he also wrote a numoer of very fine inscriptions in other mosques.
Sefik Bey was a very fine calligrapher who composed some very beautiful pieces in Thuluth, Jeli, Naskhi and Divani scripts. The ayets on each side of the “Daire-i Umuru Askeriyye” above the main entrance of the central building of the University in Beyazid and the inscriptions in the UIu Djami in Bursa are to be reckoned amongst his finest works.
He died in 1297 H. and was buried in the Yahya Effendi cemetery in Besiktas.

Sami Effendi was born in Istanbul in 1253 H. He was the son of Mahmud Effendi the Yorgancilar Kethüdasi (Head of the Quilt-Makers). He learned Ta’Iiq from Kibrisizade Ismail Hakki Effendi and All Haydar Bey, and Thuluth from Bosnak Osman Effendi; In Jeli script he was a close follower of Mustafa Rakim, whom he rivaled in excellence.
A number of fine very inscriptions and istifs by this calligrapher can be seen on various mosques, fountains, etc. in Istanbul. He trained some very fine calligraphers, including Necmeddin Effendi and Kamil (Akdik) Effendi. He died in 1330 H. and was buried in the cemetery belonging to the Fatih Mosque.

Recai Effendi was born at Sütlüce in Istanbul in 1218 H. He learned Thuluth and Naskhi from Mehmed Effendi of Filibe and was awarded his icazet at the age of thirteen. Recai Effendi was the father of the poet and writer Recaizade Ekrem Bey and the grandfather of the writer Ercümend Ekrem Talu. Recai Effendi held a number of government posts. He died in 1291 H. and was buried in the cemetery at Eyup.

Hasan Riza was born in Usküdar in 1265 H. He earned the art of calligraphy from Yahya Hilmi Effendi, one of the secretaries in the Ministry of War, and later from Sefik Bey, from whom he received his icazet. He was one of the most prolific of Turkish calligraphers. He produced nineteen copies of the Qur’an as well as a large number of Hilyes, Kit’as and Murak’kas. He held the post of Imperial main and teacher of calligraphy. He also worked as a teacher of Thuluth and Naskhi in the Medrese-tul Hattatin. He died in 1338 H. and was buried in the cemetery at Rumeli Hisar. His Naskhi script was particularly beautiful.

Mustafa Rakim occupies a most important place in the history of Turkish calligraphy. He was born in Unye in 1171 H. His elder brother was the famous calligrapher small Zühdü, who brought Mustafa to Istanbul while still a small child. Rakim learned the art of calligraphy from Ahmet Hifzi Effendi of Fethiye and his brother small Zühdü, and received his icazet at the age of twelve. He was also a painter. He was appointed teacher of calligraphy in the Saray school, one of his pupils there being Sultan Mahmud II, who accorded him very great praise and appreciation.
He had a very distinctive style in Jeli Thuluth, remarkable for its softness, elegance and movement. His works are greatly admired by calligraphers and connoisseurs of the art. His compositions include the frieze inscription in the Nusretiye Mosque at Tophane and the inscriptions on the tomb and fountain of Mahmud Ii’s mother Naksidil Sultan. The Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts contains a very fine Hilye.
Mustafa Rakim was responsible for the definitive form acquired by the tughra, or Imperial monogram. The form of the tughra he composed for Mahmud II was adopted by all succeeding Sultans, changes being made only in the actual name from which the tughra was composed. The tughras to be seen on late Ottoman coins and on the fermans of the later Sultans were all in the form composed by Rakim. He was also responsible for a number of Ta’Iiq inscriptions on fountains and tombstones.
He died in 1241 H. and was buried near the Atik All Mosque in Karagümrük. His wife had a tomb built over his grave and a medrese constructed beside it.

Osman Effendi was born in Istanbul. He studied calligraphy under the master calligrapher Dervish All and later under Suyolcuzade Eyyubi Mustafa Effendi, from whom he received his icazet. Hafiz Osman was a brilliant calligrapher who succeeded in investing the script originally employed by Sheikh Hamdullah with a new elegance, and thus became known as “Seyh-i Sani”, the second Sheikh. He had a large number of pupils, one of the most outstanding being the calligrapher Ismail bin All Agakapi. He died in 1110 H. and was buried in the graveyard belonging to the Sünbül Effendi Dergah (dervish convent) in Kocamustafa.

Necmeddin Okyay was born in 1300 H. in Usküdar. He received his icazet in Divani script from Talat Bey, teacher of writing in the Ravzai Terakki School in Usküdar, and his icazet in Thuluth and Naskhi from Bakkal Arif Effendi. He also took lessons in Ta’liq and Jeli from the great calligrapher Sami Effendi. He was appointed imam in the Yeni Mosque in Usküdar, and remained in this post for many years. Necmeddin Effendi introduced a number of improvements in the writing of Ta’Iiq and Jeli Ta’Iiq, of which he was one of the finest masters. He also displayed great skill in Ebru (marbling) and in the binding and repair of old Turkish books. He was the inventor of an original type of Ebru containing floral motifs and writing. He held teaching posts in the Medresetül Hattatin (school of Calligraphy), the Sark Tezyini Sanatlar Mektebi (School of Oriental Decorative Arts) and the Academy of Fine Arts.
He died in 1396 H. (1976) at the age in ninety-three and was buried in the cemetery of Karacaahmet.

Mehmed Nazif Bey was a native of Ruscuk, and was born in 1262 H. He entered the Saray school at an early age, and there he learned the art of calligraphy from Vahdeti Effendi of Burdur, a pupil of Abdullah Zühdü. He later studied Ta’Iiq under Sami Effendi, from whom he received his icazet.
After leaving the Saray school he spent many years as calligrapher in the Cartography Department of the Erkan-i Harbiye-i Umumiye (Army General Staff).He had a very fine command of Thuluth, Jeli and Naskhi, and displayed great skill in the use of Ta’Iiq.
Nazif Bey died in 1331 H. and was buried in the graveyard belonging to the Yahya Effendi Dergah (dervish convent) in Besiktas.

Mustafa Vasif was a native of Kastamonu. He came to Istanbul at an early age and began to study Thuluth and Naskhi under the calligrapher Gebecizade Mehmed Effendi. His teacher gave him the nickname “Comez” (theology student who served his master in return for board and tuition) by which he was commonly known. Kazasker Mustafa Izzet Effendi was one of the most outstanding of his pupils. He died in 1269 H. and was buried in Eyup.

Mustafa Izzet was the son of the great master of calligraphy Esad Yesari. His date of birth is uncertain. He learned the art of calligraphy from his father, from whom he also received his icazet. He wrote a very beautiful Ta’Iiq script. Very fine inscriptions by Mustafa Izzet are to be seen on a large number of mosques, tombs, fountains and other public buildings in Istanbul. The great calligrapher All Haydar Bey was one of his pupils.
He died in 1266 H. and was buried in the cemetery at Gelenbevi.

Designated as a National Resource Center of Excellence, the Center for Near Eastern Studies supports the enrichment of the UCLA Library’s sizeable material collection which is available to students and scholars, researchers and professionals, precollegiate teachers and the public.

The Library’s Middle East and Islamic studies research collection is the largest in the western United States, with over 500,000 volumes including publications from the Middle East and from diaspora communities in the West. Middle East Bibliographer David Hirsch maintains a web portal and numerous specialized databases to assist researchers. The Department of Special Collections houses over 10,000 manuscripts in Arabic, Armenian, Hebrew, Ottoman Turkish and Persian. Other specialized collections are housed in the Art, Biomedical, Music and Law Libraries.

The Gustav E. von Grunebaum Center for Near Eastern Studies at UCLA encourages, coordinates and integrates instruction and research in the humanities and the social sciences, business, law, medicine and the media, and in all languages essential to an understanding of the Near East. The Center pioneered study and research on the large and diverse Middle Eastern American communities in the United States. As one of the largest National Resource Centers in the US, CNES fosters public education programs and research projects of interest to the academic and professional communities and to the broader public in metropolitan Los Angeles and throughout Southern California.

The Center serves as a conduit for contacts among scholars of the Middle East and the Islamic world through its resident scholar program. Visitors appointed as Center Fellows can make use of UCLA’s extensive research facilities, including a rare manuscript collection and library holdings that are the second largest in North America. The Near East Center is an intellectual home for scholars from various academic institutions in California and for independent scholars who contribute to the regular program of colloquia, workshops, lectures, conferences and a variety of outreach activities sponsored year-round by the Center.

Center for Near Eastern Studies
10286 Bunche Hall
Los Angeles, CA 90095-1480
Campus mailcode: 148003
Tel: 310-825-1181
Fax: 310-206-2406
cnes@international.ucla.edu

Source:http://www.isop.ucla.edu/cnes/

Rare Book Review is the world’s leading magazine for all those who love, collect and/or deal in rare and valuable books.

Launched in 1974, the magazine was originally called Antiquarian Book Monthly Review, but its title was recently changed to Rare Book Review to reflect the fact that it covers printed items of all kinds, with the proviso that they should be rare and sought-after.

Our coverage is twofold. The first half of the magazine comprises features on every aspect of book dealing and collecting — including interviews with distinguished collectors, surveys of important collections, both public and private, and profiles of important authors, illustrators and publishers — and regular columns by leading dealers from both Britain and America.

The rear of the magazine, ‘Essential Listings’, is devoted to vital information about the book trade, including details of all the major auctions, fairs and catalogues, as well as previews and reviews of the most important sales.

Each month our ‘Essential Knowledge’ section offers a wide-ranging and informative introduction to a particular area of book collecting. Other features include book reviews, ‘New & Views’, ‘Spotlight’ profiles of major figures in the bookselling world, and a directory of important book-related websites.

The magazine is illustrated throughout in full colour and is produced to the highest standards. Ten issues are published a year.

Rare Book Review is truly international in scope, and we plan to increase our coverage of the book collecting scene in Europe, Asia and the United States. Other developments include the publication of special issues, which are largely – though never entirely – devoted to a single subject, be it a particular author, country or collecting area.

Source:Rare Book Review

Named after the great Abbasid dynasty library established in 832 and destroyed in the last invasion of Baghdad by the Mongols in 1258, the House of Wisdom had been installed in 1995 in one of the few surviving 13th century Abbasid structures in Baghdad. This building was the site of the first Iraqi parliament. The institution had a small collection of 100 manuscripts but these included a 9th century Koran and an Ibn Sina text of philosophy. The institution possessed a 5,500-volume set of documents from the British foreign office, US congressional documents concerning the 1940 coup in Iraq, a number of documents concerning the Jewish community in Baghdad, as well as Ottoman property registrations and court documents. Although these collections were all copies, the originals were held in the National Library and may have burnt.

On April 11, the facilities were looted. An Ottoman costume exhibit was looted in addition to furniture and moveable parts of the building. The looters retuned the next day, stealing the library’s most valuable manuscripts and books. The facility was then torched. Witness have reported that the arsonists \”were instigated,\” according to Al-Tikriti’s report, which does not indicate by whom. Books from the collection have been seen for sale on the streets of Baghdad.

Source: http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/IRAQ/mela/melairaq.html

The semi-private al-Awqaf Library, founded in 1920, is the oldest heritage institution in Iraq. It is situated near the Ministry of Health in Baghdad. It contained 45,000 rare printed books of which 6,000 were in the Ottoman script as well as a number of special collections. The staff was able to put 5,250 of 7, 000 in safekeeping, including a collection of Korans.

Spurr’s report does not contain a comprehensive description of the horrible fate of this institution, but the Middle East Library Association has published on its web site an earlier report by University of Chicago graduate student Nabil Al-Tikriti in June 2003 and another report written a year later by the Iraqi archivist Zain Al-Naqshbandi.

On April 13 or 14, 2003, arsonists completely destroyed the library. All of the 45,000 books, including Ottoman manuscripts and a collection of rare medical texts, were burnt, and much of the library’s equipment such as Xerox machines, air conditioners, and bookbinding materials appears to have been looted previously (looting of equipment was the rule for other libraries as well). The 5,250 manuscripts remain undamaged.

The US military bears responsibility for the destruction of another 1,744 manuscripts. These had been removed before the fire and placed under armed guard at the Qadiriyya Mosque complex. Operating under a policy to shoot armed Iraqis on sight, US forces killed the guard on April 13. The al-Awqaf staff returned these manuscripts to the library, now unguarded because of the American \”rules of engagement.\” These manuscripts were either looted or incinerated.

The arson itself bears a particularly suspicious and notorious character in Iraq. According to Al-Tikriti’s report and press accounts at the time, approximately 15 Arab males using an incendiary substance systematically burned the library. Two other men from this group videotaped the arson.

Many Iraqis believe, as the American press has also reported, that the arsonists, based on the dialect they were overheard using, were Kuwaitis. This supposition, however, remains unproven.

No international agency appears to have come to the assistance of this library.

Source:http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/IRAQ/mela/melairaq.html

The Iraqi National Library and Archive contained 12 million documents. In addition to a substantial book library, it may have had the largest collection of Arabic newspapers in the world. It housed documents from the period of the Hashmenite monarchy (1920-1958) and the Turkish Ottoman period (1534-1918) as well as documents from the Republican period after 1958 to recent times.

Shortly before the invasion in 2003, staff members and Shia clerics removed nearly 40 percent of the book collection and some of the documents for safekeeping. Clerics also had a steel door to one of the collections welded shut and it remained safe.

An entire wing of the library, the Old Library, was almost completely destroyed. This area housed documents from the Republican era, which may have been the reason for the fires.

Also completely destroyed was the microfilm collection of periodicals and other documents. Dr. Saad Eskander, the library’s Director-General, estimates that 60 percent of the Hashmenite documents were destroyed.

A portion of the documents that were removed by the Islamic clerics faced another disaster. These were stored in the basement of the Board of Tourism, which was deliberately flooded by looters.

Dr. Saad B. Eskander, Director General of the Iraq National Library and Archive, has described the events of mid-April, 2003 as a “national disaster beyond imagination.”

Source:http://oi.uchicago.edu/OI/IRAQ/mela/melairaq.html

Turkish Studies

The Turkish Studies Department of Leiden University is one of the largest research and teaching departments in its field in Europe. It has a permanent staff of six, one of whom is permanently stationed in Istanbul and eight additional staff members with non-tenured positions. It offers BA,MA, M.Phil and PhD degrees.The department maintains links with the Turkish academic and intellectual world, resulting in a constant inflow of Turkish MA and PhD students. The Department offers a MA programme in European Studies jointly with Istanbul Bilgi University, and a MA programme in Turkish Studies with Sabancı University in Istanbul. These programmes are taught partly in Istanbul and partly in Leiden. The teaching is enhanced with regular guest lectures by professors from other universities from the Netherlands and abroad. The department of Turkish Studies combines expertise in the languages of the region with historically oriented research programmes. The department has strong national and international links, in particular with the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS, London), the EHESS (Paris), the International Institute of Social History, (IISH, Amsterdam), and Bilgi and Sabancı Universities (Istanbul).

The Turkology Update Leiden Project (TULP) is a unique initiative of Leiden University’s Department of Turkish Languages and Cultures (until recently part of the Department of Languages and Cultures of the Islamic Middle East) and Projectgroup Computer Supported Education (COO). It started December 1997 and its first results were published on the World Wide Web by April 1998. The TULP-pages are continually updated and expanded; so watch out for News. TULP will provide a specifically Turkological introduction to the Web for Leiden University’s students of Turkology as well as for the general public interested in aspects of Turkey and Central Asia. Our database of relevant sites will be continually updated and new sites added to our pages.

TULP’s main pages feature A Curricular WebGuide for Turkology, A Topical WebGuide for Turkology and Interactive Turkish Texts (in Dutch).

The curricular guide lists all of the department’s courses, with a selection of sites for each of them. This selection was designed for our students and is incorporated in our courses as a study assignment. This section forms the core of TULP.

Whereas the curricular guide lists only a selection of our database of sites, the topical guide includes every site found and approved for selection. Note that this does in no way mean that it includes all WWW-sites on Turkey or Central Asia, or even all good sites on a specific topic. The database was in fact created for the curricular guide and the topical guide may thus exclude important or even key-sites. Moreover, the character of the Web is such that some types of information can be found in abundance (news, statistical information, etc.) and some are extremely rare (grammar, manuscripts, etc.). We will try to fill these gaps as soon as possible. Suggestions are most welcome and can be sent to M.E. Yıldırım

The Turkology Update Leiden Project(TULP)

TULP’s Database of Interactive Turkish Texts was developed as a tool for our students, combining easily accessible vocabulary and idiom lists with the department’s grammar specialist D. Koopman’s grammatical and syntactical comments and references to his and Dr. Geoffrey Lewis’ Turkish grammar. In April 1998 -when TULP first went online- it consisted of three texts, but new ones will continually be added. It will be used in six of the department’s courses (Modern Turkish Grammar, Grammatical Text Analysis, Sentence Structure 1, Sentence Structure 2, Conversation A and Conversation B). The database is only of use to speakers of Dutch and requires a Java-capable browser.

Source: TULP

History of Ottoman and Turkish Studies at Harvard University

Harvard University has a long tradition of teaching and research in the fields of Turkish and Ottoman studies. As early as the nineteenth century, courses on Ottoman history were taught at the University. However, during the past three decades, Turkish and Ottoman studies have been expanded and integrated more thoroughly into the curriculum. The program has grown stronger most recently with the addition of area studies faculty and the enhancement of the Turkish language program. These developments have resulted in greater student interest and the establishment of new research projects. (more…)

“A monstrous and inhuman race of men,” Mathew Paris called the Mongols in the 12th century. They “feed on raw flesh, and even on human beings,” he wrote in his history, Chronica Majora.” They are incomparable archers,…impious and inexorable men.”

Written by Shelia S. Blair

The Mongols themselves traded on this reputation to intimidate their enemies. “Our horses are swift,…our swords like thunderbolts, our hearts as hard as the mountains…. We are not moved by tears nor touched by lamentations,” they warned the Mamluk sultan Qutuz. And in fact, the reputation was largely deserved. Genghis Khan was as brutal as he was brilliant, uniting disparate Turko-Mongolian tribes to form the most extensive land empire known to history, stretching from the Yellow Sea to the Caucasus Mountains. In February 1258, his grandson Hülegü sacked and burned Baghdad in one of the bloodiest conquests of the age, whose aftershocks shook the entire Islamic world. (more…)

Harvard’s collection of Islamic and later Indian art is small but magnificent. It comprises a broad range of works, from Samanid pottery and Mamluk calligraphy to Qajar lacquers and Ottoman textiles. The department is particularly strong, however, in painting. Its masterpieces, which rank among the finest in the United States, include a group of miniatures from the extraordinary 14th-century Great Mongol (”Demotte”) Shahnama, the Safavid master Mir Sayyid-’Ali’s Night-time in a Palace, and the miniatures of the “pocket-size” Divan of Anvari produced for the Mughal emperor Akbar. The department also has one of the most important representations of Rajasthani painting in the world.

The over 2,500 items in the collection include:

Fragment of a Velvet YastikPaintings and drawings from the Arab, Il Khanid, Timurid, Safavid, Qajar, Ottoman, Sultanate, Mughal, Deccani, Rajput, and British India periods; Illuminations; Calligraphy; Qur’ans and other manuscripts; Ceramics and tiles; Metalwork, including arms and armor; Textiles and rugs. The collection is displayed in thematically-oriented exhibitions in the Islamic Gallery on the second floor of the Arthur M. Sackler Museum. (more…)

The Tablet and the Pen: Drawings from the Islamic World uses 28 examples from Turkey, Iran and India to explore the development of drawing as an independent artistic medium; as part of the process of design for paintings, textiles and metalwork; and as a catalyst for artistic experimentation. It emphasizes aspects of technique and illuminates the historical circumstances that affected the development of the medium and the increased demand for single-sheet drawings in the 16th and 17th centuries. Sackler Museum, Cambridge, Massachusetts, through July 23, 2006

Islamic and Later Indian Art
email: erinhyde@fas.harvard.edu
phone: (617) 495 - 1195
Mailing Address: Arthur M. Sackler Museum, 32 Quincy Street, Cambridge, MA 02138

Source: Sackler Museum

The Metropolitan Museum’s collection of Islamic art, which ranges in date from the seventh to the nineteenth century, reflects the great diversity and range of Islamic culture and offers perhaps the most comprehensive permanent installation of Islamic art on view anywhere. Nearly 12,000 objects created in the cultural tradition of the world’s youngest monotheistic religion (Islam, founded in A.D. 622, means “submission to God”) have been assembled at the Metropolitan from as far westward as Spain and Morocco and as far eastward as Central Asia and India. While many of these objects were originally intended for decoration of a mosque or for use during worship, domestic and luxury objects in the collection reveal the mutual influence of artistic practice in the sacred and secular realms. In particular, the traditions of calligraphy, vegetal ornament (the arabesque), and geometric patterning are strongly expressed in most pieces on view.

The Metropolitan Museum of Art
1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street
New York, New York 10028-0198
General Information: 212-535-7710
TTY: 212-570-3828 or 212-650-2551

Source: Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Islamic collection was expanded in the 1920s under the leadership of the first curator of Near Eastern art. The arts of Islam are exhibited adjacent to the galleries of Asian Art on the first floor and includes the book arts, calligraphy and miniature painting, and objects of glass, ivory, lacquer, wood, and stone, with strong collections of metalwork, ceramics, and textiles. Representing the works of an extraordinarily wide range of cultures and civilizations from antiquity to the present, the Middle Eastern, Islamic and Asian Art Collection includes pieces from a broad geographical arc including the Middle East and Asia.The collection was established in 1890 with Detroit pharmaceutical manufacturer Frederick K. Stearns’ gift to the museum of thousands of pieces from the Middle East and Asia. The collections of Ancient and Islamic Art and that of Asian Art developed separately over the years, with several key acquisitions like the nearly 4,000 year old statue of Gudea of Lagash from Mesopotamia/Babylon (present-day Iraq) and the monumental Head of Buddha from Korea. In 2003, the collections were merged into the Middle Eastern, Islamic, and Asian Art Collection.

As part of its activities the department has also presented major exhibitions of Egyptian, Near Eastern, Classical, and Islamic art and curators have participated in excavations in Iraq and Egypt.

© 2005 The Detroit Institute of Arts

The Los Angeles County Museum of Art houses one of the most significant collections of Islamic art in the world. These widely diverse arts, from an area extending from southern Spain to Central Asia , trace the distinctive visual imagination of Islamic artists over a period of fourteen hundred years. The collection is comprised of over 1,700 works, of which some 150 examples are on view; these include glazed ceramics, inlaid metalwork, enameled glass, carved wood and stone, and manuscript illustration, illumination, and calligraphy. Particular strengths of the collection are glazed pottery and tiles from Iran and Turkey ; glass, especially from the late seventh to the mid-thirteenth century; and Persian and Turkish arts of the book.

The museum began to concentrate seriously on Islamic art in 1973, with the acquisition of the Nasli M. Heeramaneck Collection, the generous gift of Joan Palevsky. Although the Heeramaneck collection forms the nucleus of the Islamic holdings, the focus and scope of the collection have developed considerably since 1973. Two important additions, both gifts, occurred in the 1980s. In 1985 the noted collector Edwin Binney, 3rd, bequeathed more than one hundred works, in particular, examples of the arts of the book and ceramics of the Ottoman period. Approximately fifty glass objects, primarily of the early Islamic period, from Hans and Varya Cohn’s splendid collection were given to the museum in 1988. The collection has been augmented further over the past two decades through gift and purchase, most notably the acquisition in 2002 of the Madina Collection of Islamic Art, made possible in large part by a generous gift from long-time LACMA benefactor and Trustee Camilla Chandler Frost. Its addition has created a new international focus on Los Angeles and on LACMA.

Source: Los Angeles County Museum of Art. All rights reserved

The Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilization (NELC) is devoted to teaching and research concerning the principal cultures and languages of the Near and Middle East, including Central Asia, emphasizing not only their contemporary manifestations but also their ancient and medieval roots, and their significance within the history of world civilizations.

Our language and thematic curricula investigate major literary and cultural traditions. Arabic, Persian, Tajik, Turkish, and Central Asian Turkic (such as Uzbek, Kazakh, and Kirghiz) are the languages of the most significant manifestations of Islamic civilization. Hebrew and Aramaic are languages of the Bible, and central to Judaism and Jewish culture. A rich and vast heritage from other ancient Near Eastern cultures is explored through study of languages and literatures such as Egyptian (Hieroglyphic, Coptic), Akkadian, Ugaritic, Phoenician, and Syriac.

In this endeavor NELC is committed to excellence in interdisciplinary research, historical and linguistic training, innovative pedagogical approaches to learning, and expanding awareness of and appreciation for non-Western cultures, past and present.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Department of Near Eastern
Languages and Civilization
Box 353120
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington 98195-3120
Phone: (206) 543-6033
Fax: (206) 685-7936
http://depts.washington.edu/nelc/

Souce: University of Washington

This dictionary is part of the Ottoman Texts Archive Project at the University of Washington and is developed by three Informatics students for their capstone project.

Contact

Dictionary Director - Semih Tezcan.
Project Director - OTAP | Walter G. Andrews. walter@u.washington.edu
Project Mentor - CARTAH | Stacy Waters. stacy@u.washington.edu
Project Members - Information School | Informatics undergraduate

* Khanhvy K. Doan khanhvy@u.washington.edu
* Eddie Hong W. Lau elau@u.washington.edu
* Anna Stolyar as0@u.washington.edu

Source: University of Washington

What is OTAP?

* OTAP is a cooperative international project employing computer technology and the resources of the World Wide Web to make transcribed Ottoman texts and resources for understanding Ottoman texts broadly accessible to international audiences.

* OTAP is jointly sponsored by the University of Washington in Seattle and Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey under the direction of Professor Walter G. Andrews (U.W.) and Professor Mehmed Kalpaklı (Bilkent). The project has been supported by the Center for Advanced Research and Technology in the Arts and Humanities at the University of Washington, the Halil İnalcık Center for Ottoman Studies at Bilkent University, the Institute of Turkish Studies, and the University of Washington Royalty Research Fund. OTAP has an Advisory Board made up of 8 renown international scholars and an outstanding group of 6 experienced technical consultants. Our growing group of participating scholars now numbers over fifty and includes members from the Middle East, Asia, Europe, and North America.

* The core task of OTAP is the Web publication of transcribed Ottoman texts in searchable, analyzable form but the project also acts as a resource and umbrella for several related projects.

What are the related projects?

The Ottoman Historical Dictionary (OHD) is an electronic, on-line historical dictionary of the Ottoman language. It is still in the planning stages under the direction of an experienced and highly-regarded lexicographer, Prof. Semih Tezcan of Bamberg University in Germany. The dictionary will use Archive materials and materials collected for Prof. Tezcan’s Old Anatolian Turkish project to create a dictionary containing historically accurate definitions supported by examples on the general model of the Oxford English Dictionary. No comparable resource exists for Ottoman Turkish.

The Bio-bibliographical Database of Ottoman Literature (BIDOL) is an encyclopedia providing information about Ottoman authors and their works. Prof. Gottfried Hagen of the University of Michigan is in the process of developing the database structure for this project, which will encompass and expand upon the metadata core of the Archive. It will eventually provide a unmatched resource for information about knowledge production in the Ottoman Empire.

The Critical Texts Group headed by Prof. Mustafa İsen of Başkent University in Ankara, Turkey, this group is conducting a survey of Ottoman manuscripts (of which there are approximately 600,000 in Turkish libraries and many thousands in Europe and the U.S.) in order to create a prioritized list of manuscripts to be transcribed and edited for publication in the Archive. No similar list exists today.

Contacts

Walter Andrews
Near Eastern Languages and Civilization
Box 353120
229 Denny Hall
University of Washington
Seattle, Washington 98195
walter@u.washington.edu
http://faculty.washington.edu/walter

Source: Ottoman Text Archive Project

by: Assoc. Prof. Dr. Günsel Renda, Hacettepe University, ANKARA

One of the richly illustrated manuscripts of the sixteenth century is the Zubdat-al Tawarikh in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Istanbul, dedicated to Sultan Murad III in 1583. The manuscript contains forty miniatures of the finest quality reflecting the mature Ottoman court style of the latter part of the sixteenth century.

The art of Ottoman Turkish miniature painting reached its peak in the sixteenth century, especially during the reigns of Suleyman the Magnificent and Murad III, who were both great patrons of art responsible for the uninterrupted output of the imperial ateliers during this period. Most of the miniatures executed in the sixteenth century took their subjects from Ottoman history illustrating major political and social events of the time. Less attention was given to producing literary manuscripts. Illustrated religious texts which increased in number later in the century very often remained in a historical framework. That is, in some of the major books on world history, Ottoman sultans were linked genealogically with Koranic and Biblical prophets. The Zubdat-al Tawarikh is a book of that nature where the text is a summary of Biblical and political world history covering the creation of the world, stories of the prophets and prominent historical figures of the past, and largely Turkish history to the time of the reigning sultan Murad III, also including genealogical accounts of the first twelve Ottoman sultans. The author was Seyyid Loqman Ashuri, the prolific historiographer of the Ottoman court during the period of Murad III, who in his introduction explains how he compiled this world history from different sources. (more…)

Tevki’ ve onun incesi olan rıkaa’ hattının mahalli anlayışlarla işlenmesi sonunda İran’da ortaya çıkışıyla -asılmış gibi duran harflerinden dolayı- bu yazıya ta’lik adı verilmiş; bu kadim ta’lik hattı, o ülkede devlet yazışmalarını yürüten münşiler tarafından çok kullanılıp geliştirilmiştir. Kuruluşundan itibaren, devletin resmi yazısı olarak tevki’ -ve nadiren rıkaa’- hattına yer veren Osmanlılar, Fatih’in Akkoyunlular’la savaşması (1462) sonunda, onların divan katiplerinin İstanbul’a getirilişiyle bu ta’lik hattını tanımaya başladılar. Anılan yazının kısa zamanda büyük bir değişikliğe uğramasıyla divani hattı, Osmanlı karakterini kazanmış olarak ortaya çıktı; bunun harekelerle bezenmiş ve daha gelişmiş şekli de celi divani adıyla üst seviyedeki resmi yazışmalara XVI. asırdan itibaren tahsis olundu. Resmi işler haricinde kullanılmasına cevaz verilmeyen ve sadece Divan-ı Hümayun’da öğretilen her iki yazı da, bilhassa XIX. yüzyılda en mükemmel seviyesine ulaşıp, bu hal XX. yüzyılda da devam etti. Okuyup yazılması diğer yazı nevilerine göre çetrefil olan ve satır sonlan yükseltilerek bitirilen bu iki devlet yazısı, kolay okunmanın ve araya birşey yazılıp da tahrifata uğratılmamn önüne geçmek için mahsus seçilmiş, resmi yazışmalar da böylece teminat altına alınmış olsa gerektir.

Padişahın bütün yazılı emirlerinin (ferman, berat, menşur …) üstünde kendisinin ve babasının isimlerinin “el muzaffer daima” duasıyla birlikte yer aldığı tuğra şeklinin Osmanlılar’daki en iptidai örneğine Orhan Gazi’de rastlanır (1324). XV. ve hele XVI. yüzyıllarda mutena tezhipli örneklerine hala hayranlık duyulan padişah tuğraları, zaman içinde görünüşüyle bozulmuş ve XVIII. yüzyıl sonlarında yeni bir nisbet arayışına girilmiştir Nihayet, yukarıda anılan Mustafa Rakım, III. Selim’den itibaren tuğra şeklini cidden ıslah etmiş ve bu hal II. Mahmut tuğrasında belirgin bir görünüş kazanmıştır. Daha sonra Sami Efendi’nin elinde, matematik ve estetik kavramlarının işbirliğiyle, tuğra son şeklini II. Abdülhamit zamanında almıştır.

Aklam-ı sitte dışında Osmanlılar’da çok beğenilen bir yazı cinsi de ta’lik hattıdır. Diğerlerinin aksine, ta’lik -Arapça’da harflerin kısa seslendirilmesinde kullanılan- hareke işaretlerine yer verilmeden, çıplak ve sade bir görünüşle yazılır ve bu sebeple Türkçe’ye de uyumlu gelir. Sanat eserleri dışında divanların, şer’i ve kazai hükümlerin kaleme alınmasında geniş bir kullanılma sahası bulmuş olan ta’likin doğuş sahası İran’dır. Yukanda anılan kadim ta’lik hattının çokça işlenmesi sonunda geçirdiği safhalar, onda değişikliğe sebep olmuş ve bu yeni yazı nevine -herhalde ta’likı ortadan kaldırdığı için- neshta’lik adı verilmiştir. Zamanla nesta’lik e dönüşen bu ismi benimsemeyip ta’lik adını tercih eden Osmanlılarda, yazının isminde olduğu kadar, tavrında da farklılıklar doğmuştur.

XV. yüzyılın ikinci yansından başlayarak, bilhassa ince (hürde, hafi) şekliyle kitaplarda görülmeye başlanan ta’lik hattı, nesta’lik üslubuna bağlı kalınmak suretiyle Osmanlı topraklarında da yayılmıştır. İran’ın büyük ismi Mir İmadü’l-Haseni (1554?-1615)’nin mükemmel tavrı, onun öğrencisi Derviş Abdi (? - 1647) eliyle İstanbul’a getirilmiş ve sanat çevrelerinde hemen benimsenmiştir. Bu sebeple XVIII. yüzyılda eser veren Durmuşzade Ahmed (? - 1717), Katibzade Mehmed Refı’ (? - 1768), Şeyhülislam Veliyüddin (? - 1768) efendiler gibi Osmanlı ta’lik hattattan hep İmad-ı Rum (= Anadolu’nun İmad’ı) veya İmad-ı sani (=İkinci İmad) ünvanlarıyla anılmışlardır. Dedezade Mehmed Efendi (? - 1759)’nin yetiştirdiği ve sağ tarafı felçli olduğundan sol eliyle yazdığı için Yesari lakabıyla anılan Mehmed Es’ad Efendi (? -1798), İmad’ın yazılarını bir estetik kıymetlendirmeye tabi tutmuş; yaptığı isabetli seçimle 1780′de ortaya çıkan yeni tavır, artık Osmanlı ta’lik üslubu olmuştur. Yesarizade Mustafa İzzet Efendi (17707-1849) de, babasının noksanlarını tamamlayarak bilhassa celi ta’lik hattında emsalsiz bir yol almış ve çok eserler vermiştir. Aynı yolu daha da titizlikle sürdüren Sami Efendi ise, Nazif Bey, Hulusi Yazgan (1869-1940), Ömer Vasfı ve Necmeddin Okyay (1883-1976) gibi kıymetli öğrencileriyle bu güzelliği Türkiye Cumhuriyeti yıllarına kadar aktarmıştır.

Osmanlılar’da maliye ve tapu kayıdlarının tutulduğu siyakat hattının sanat tarafı bulunmadığından burada sadece ismi anılmaktadır. Günlük el yazısının da her yazanın elinde kazandığı farklılık neticesi, XIX. yüzyılda bu da bir nizama bağlanmış ve rık’a hattı olarak adlandırılmıştır. Bunun resmi ve süratli yazışmalara tahsis edilenine Bab-ı-Ali rık’ası, sıkı kaidelere bağlı olanına İzzet Efendi (1841-1903) rik’ası denilmektedir ki, bu sonuncusu Arap aleminde sanat yazısı gibi benimsenmiştir.

Osmanlılarda beş yüzyıla yakın bir zaman süresince milli hüviyet göstererek devam eden ve en mükemmel seviyesine XIX.-XX. yüzyıllarda erişen hat sanatının mahsulleri de -anılan yüzyıllarda- geçmişe göre çoğalmıştır. Bunda, her nevi hattın en göze çarpıcı şekli olan celinin de aynı devrede tekamül edişi kadar, buna bağlı diğer bir sebep de, yazılma sahası olarak tercih edilen levhaların ve hem sivil, hem de dini mimaride -ekseriya mermere oyulup da- dış cephede yer alan kitabelerin artışının rolü bulunmaktadır. Eski devirlerde Mushaf, divan v.b. gibi yazma kitaplara; kıt’a denilen, bir veya iki nevi hatla kağıdın sadece bir yüzüne yazılan ve etrafı da bezenmiş olan -yaklaşık kitap ebadındaki- parçalara; kıt’aların biraraya getirilmesiyle albüm şeklinde hazırlanan murakka’alara daha çok rastlanmaktadır.Celi sülüs ve celi ta’lik geliştikten sonra, bunlarla yazılan büyük boydaki levhalar da mekanları süslemeye başlamıştır. Hafız Osman’ın buluşu olarak hat sanatında yer alan ve İslam Peygamberi’nin harici ve ahlaki vasıflarını anlatan hilye levhalarına da, XIX. asırdan itibaren daha çok sayıda ve daha büyük ebadda yazılmış örnekleriyle rastlanmaktadır.

Osmanlı hattatları elbette burada ismi geçenlerden ibaret değildir, devir açanlar ve yukarıda anılanlardan başka, belirli seviyeyi aşmış yüzlerce ismi sıralamak mümkündür ve bunlar katib, nasih, nessah adlarıyla tanınan, yazma kitap çoğaltıcılarından ayrı olarak, sanat ehli kişilerdir.

Hattatların kullandığı edevat ve malzemenin de Osmanlı ince el sanatları arasında müstesna bir yeri vardır. Muhtelif renklere boyandıktan sonra ahar denilen cilalama usulü ile kullanılabilecek hale getirilen elyapısı kağıtlara yazmak için, is ve arapzamkı eriyiğinin havanda dövülmesiyle is mürekkebi, varak altının ezilmesiyle de altın mürekkebi elde edilir. Lal (kırmızı) ve zırnık (sarı) mürekkepleri de çok kullanılmıştır. Hokka ve kamış kalemin içinde saklandığı divit (silindir biçimindeyse: kubur), kalem açmada kullanılan kalemtraş ve makta’ gibi aletler, bunları imal ederek geçimini sağlayan bir sanatkar zümresinin doğmasına vesile olmuştur ki, hat şaheserlerinin yaraşıra bunlar da görenlerde hayranlık uyandırmaktadır.

Vakıf anlayışıyla kurulmuş olan Osmanlı öğretim müesseselerinde (mektep, medrese) veya üst öğretim veren Enderûn-ı Hümayun, Divan-ı Hümayun, Galata Sarayı gibi üniversite muadili resmi kuruluşlarda sürdürülen hat öğretimi, aslında en seviyeli ve yaygın şekliyle, hat hocasının evinde teberrüken (maddi karşılığı olmaksızın) gerçekleştirilirdi. Nihayet XX. yüzyıla gelindiğinde, bir devlet hat akademisi açılması düşünülerek, Evkaf Nazın ve Şeyhülislam Hayri Efendi (1867-1922)’nin delaletiyle, Cağaloğlu’ndaki tarihi Yusuf Ağa Sıbyan Mektebi’nde (bugün M.E.B. Yayın Bürosu’dur) Medresetü’l-Hattatin açılmıştır (1914). Hasan Rıza, Kamil (Akdik); Nuri (Korman, 1868-1951), Hulusi (Yazgan); Tuğrakeş İsmail Hakkı (Altunbezer); Mustafa Ferid (1857-?) gibi o devrin önde gelen hat üstadlarının hoca olarak bulunduğu bu medresede tezhip, cild, ebru, minyatür, ahar gibi sair kağıt ve kitap sanatları da öğretiliyordu. Birçok talebenin yetiştiği bu irfan yuvası, medreselerin lağvından (1925) sonra faaliyetini harf inkılabına kadar (1928) Hattat Mektebi adıyla devam ettirmiştir.

Sıkı bir disiplinle yürütülegelen usta-çırak öğretimi sonunda icazet (diploma) verilerek nesilden nesile intikal ettirilen hat sanatı, zaman içinde bünyesini yenileyebildiği ve diğer sanatların aksine Batı’dan tesir alacak bir yanı bulunmadığı için, Osmanlılarda, günü gününden ala olarak XX. yüzyıla kadar gelebilmiştir.

Source: Osmanlı Devleti ve Medeniyeti Tarihi , IRCICA, 1998

The library was opened to the public on 20 July 1984 by the Ministry of Culture and Tourism. The foundation goal was to gather valuable manuscript collections around the country. Its complex consists of three stories which include 14 bureau, 3 depots and 4 reading halls. The usable field is 723 m2.

YUSUFAĞA MANUSCRIPTS LIBRARY

It was built by Yusufağa, the steward of Mihri Şah Sultan, Selim III’s mother. It is owned today by the General Directory of the Pious Foundations (Vakıflar Genel Müdürlüğü) in Ankara. Its complex consists of a single story with a dome. The usable field is 110 m2. It is bound to the Bölge Manuscripts Library.

MAKING USE OF BÖLGE (DISTRICT) MANUSCRIPTS LIBRARY COLLECTIONS

Directly From the Books: Researchers, after scanning the catalogues (on Dewey system) and filling in a request form, can see the books they are looking for. They should fill in a separate form for each book they are interested in it. After this process, the book is made ready in front of them. However it should be noted that except studying on different copies of a certain book, it is not possible to see all the books they want to see at once; only one book can be delivered on a certain time. The books are checked by the employee (who is in charge of delivering it) before the delivery. And they are checked when researchers submit them back to make sure that no harm is done to the books. The check includes miniatures, pages, in fact any small details on/in the books. Researchers can use their laptop computers if it does not have a camera.

The request forms should be submitted between 8.00 and 12.00 in the morning, and between 13.30 and 16.30 in the evening. The books which are being repaired cannot be delivered for study. In this case, a CD or microfilm of the book can be presented for the study if there is one. Book delivery times can be changed by the Governorship of Konya when necessary. The Library is also open on Saturdays.

Previously, foreign researchers needed to be in possession of valid “study permission” obtained via the representatives Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs in their homeland, and for short-term researches the library administration is authorized to give such permission. But according to a Karar (decision) issued on the Resmi Gazete (Official Newspaper) dated 10 November 2003 (karar no. 2003/6270), the library administration is authorized to give short as well as long term permisssions of study for foreign researchers. So, foreign researchers no longer need to have a “study permission” obtained via Turkey’s representatives of Ministry of Foreign Affairs in their homeland.

To be able to make use of library collections, a researcher:should leave a valid ID card to the information desk at the entrance, while studying the books, should put them on the table; not take it at hand or put it on knees, should not lean on the books, should not write down on the books, should not copy in any form, should not touch pages directly; should place a paper under her/his fingers during the reading, should not get her/his finger wet during turning the pages, should use only soft pencils during the whole study. Pen is not allowed.

To be able to get CD or micro film, a researcher should apply to the directorate of the library with a form in which he/she fills in:

- Register number of the book he/she wants to study on,

- His/her name and surname

- Page numbers she/he wants to obtain a copy,

- Purpose of the study

It is important to note here that the researcher should make a written agreement that in case his/her study in which a collection from the library used is published, he/she will deliver a copy of it to the library. The agreement should be accompanying of a copy of his/her ID card.

In case the library directory sees it appropriate, the CD or microfilm is submitted to the researcher following the payment of the necessary fees according to “the rules and regulations on making use of works belong to public institutions” issued on the Resmi Gazete (Official Newspaper) dated 16 October 1986 and numbered 19253. For the foreign researchers the same procedure is to be applied.

MAKING USE OF YUSUFAĞA LIBRARY COLLECTIONS

To be able to study at Yusufağa Manuscripts Library, researchers should make an appointment with the Bölge Manuscripts Library as it is attached to this main library. Bölge Manuscripts Library’s telephone numbers are as follows: +90.332.3511216, and Telephone and Fax:+90.332.3507225. Other procedures are the same as in the Bölge Manuscripts Library. There is further possibility of using our computers while making use of the CD’s of the works located in Yusufağa Manuscripts Library.

CULTURAL SERVICES

At the Bölge Manuscripts Library complex, calligraphy and Ebru (the Turkish Painting Art) courses are being organized for more than a decade. Its halls can be used for some cultural and artistic activities and expositions as well. Many artists use its hall as location for their expositions.

Konya Bölge (District) Manuscripts Library
Adress: Bahçelievler Mah., Yavuz Selim Cad. No.152 Meram/KONYA/TURKEY
Tel:+90.332.3511216 Fax:+90.332.3507225

Source: Konya Bölge (District) Manuscripts Library

Abstract: A brief introduction of Ottoman libraries in turkish.

İlk kütüphane Osman Bey zamanında İznik’te, ikincisi ise Edirne’de Lala Şahin Paşa tarafından kuruldu.

Yıldırım Bâyezîd Han zamanında Bursa’da Eyne Subaşı Medresesinin üst katında bir kütüphane ile Eyne Subaşının Balıkesir’de yaptırdığı medresede bir kütüphane kuruldu. Fatih Sultan Mehmed Han İstanbul’u fethettikten sonra çeşitli îmar faaliyetleri arasında önemli kütüphaneler yaptırdı. Ayasofya yakınında yaptırdığı ilk medresenin yanında halka açık bir kütüphane kurdurdu. Fâtih Camii Külliyesi içinde yaptırdığı kütüphane, Zeyrek Camii Kütüphanesi, Eyüp Sultan Camii yanındaki kütüphaneler bu kütüphanelerin en meşhurlarıdır. Daha sonraki pâdişâhlar tarafından İstanbul’un yanında Amasya, Edirne, Bursa, Manisa, Trabzon ve başka şehirlerde de kütüphaneler kuruldu. Topkapı Sarayı bünyesinde kurulan Saray Kütüphanesi, Ayasofya, Süleymâniye, Şehzâdebaşı ve Bâyezîd kütüphaneleri zenginleştirilerek zamanımıza kadar gelmişlerdir.

Osmanlılar devrinde mîmârî açıdan müstakil bir binaya sahip olan ilk vakıf kütüphanesi Köprülü Fâzıl Ahmed Paşa tarafından yaptırılan ve Köprülü Fâzıl Mustafa Paşa tarafından vakfiyesi hazırlanarak tanzim edilen Köprülü Kütüphânesidir. Şehid Ali Paşa tarafından Vefâ’da yaptırılan kütüphane, Atıf Efendi tarafından Süleymâniye civarında yaptırılan Atıf Efendi Kütüphanesi, Nûruosmaniye Kütüphanesi ve Koska’da Koca Ragıb Paşa tarafından kurulan Ragıb Paşa Kütüphanesi de belli başlı Osmanlı kütüphaneleridir.

Sultan İkinci Mahmûd Han devrinde kurulan yeni kütüphanelerin, kitap vakıflarının yanında kütüphanelerin devlet tarafından kontrolünün ve düzenleme çalışmalarının yaygınlaştığı da görülmektedir. Bu devirde İstanbul’da kurulan kütüphanelerin çoğunluğu tekke kütüphaneleridir. Fâtih Kütüphanesi, Çarşamba’daki Murâd Molla Kütüphanesi, Sultan İkinci Mustafa’nın kızı Hatîce Sultan tarafından Unkapanı’nda kurulan Şâzeliyye Tekkesi Kütüphanesi, Galata Mevlevihânesi Kütüphanesi bu devirde kurulan kütüphanelerdendir. Sultan İkinci Mahmûd Han Medîne-i münevverede Mahmudiye adıyla bir kütüphane, Kıbrıs’ta Ayasofya Camiinde bir kütüphane kurdurdu. İlme, ilim adamlarına ve kitaba karşı aşırı merakı olan Sultan İkinci Abdülhamîd Han İstanbul ve başka Osmanlı ülkelerindeki kütüphaneleri tertip ve tanzim ettirerek fihristler düzenletti. Yıldız Sarayındaki Çit Kasrını kütüphane olarak tahsis ettirerek zamanının çoğunu burada geçirdi. Mısır’daki dağınık kütüphaneler toplanarak bugünkü adıyla Dârü’l-Kütübü’l-Mısrıyye diye bilinen Hidiv Kütüphanesi meydana getirildi.

1882′de Kütüphâne-i Umûmî-i Osmanî adıyla nizâmnâme çıkarılarak herkesin faydalanabileceği umûmî kütüphaneler kuruldu. Bâyezîd Devlet Kütüphanesi, İzmir, Kayseri, Konya, Eskişehir, Diyarbakır ve Bursa’da Millî Kütüphane adıyla kütüphaneler kuruldu. 1911′de temeli atılan Türk Ocağı ve taşra teşkilâtlarında kurulan kütüphaneler bir nevi halk kütüphanesi vazifesi gördü.

Cumhuriyet döneminde 1924′te çıkarılan Tevhid-i Tedrisat Kânunuyla vakıf kütüphânelerindeki koleksiyonlar, 1927′de çıkan kânunla tekke ve zaviyelerde bulunan eserler Maârif Vekâletine (Millî Eğitim Bakanlığına) bağlı kütüphanelere devredildi.

Peki, Dünyanın en değerli kitap hazinelerinden biri olan Topkapı Sarayı Kütüphanesi nasıl oluştu? Padişahlar ne gibi kitaplar okurlardı? Saray kitaplığında hangi kitaplar vardı? Çeyrek yüzyıl boyunca Topkapı Sarayı Kitaplığı’nda görev yapan ve halen sarayın yöneticisi olan Dr. Filiz Çağman bütün bu soruların cevabını verirken saray kitaplığının bilinmeyen yönlerini anlatıyor.

Topkapı Sarayı müze haline dönüştürüldüğü 1924 yılına kadar 400 yıla yakın bir süre Osmanlı padişahlarının ikametgahı, imparatorluğun idari merkezi ve her türlü devlet adamının yetiştirildiği bir eğitim kurumuydu. Bütün bunların yanında Osmanlı sanatının oluştuğu yegáne merkez yine saraydı.

Saray İstanbul’un fethinden sonra Fatih Sultan Mehmed tarafından 1460-1478 yılları arasında yaptırıldı ve asırlar boyunca ihtiyaca göre çeşitli yapılar ilávesiyle genişletildi. Bu ilginç kompleksi günümüzde gezen ziyaretçiler Osmanlı padişahlarının taşlarla bezeli değerli madenlerden yapılmış eşyalarının korunduğu hazineyi hayranlıkla izlerler. Fakat Osmanlı padişahlarının en çok değer verdikleri eserler başta Kur’an-ı Kerimler olmak üzere el yazması kitaplardı. Sayıları 18. yüzyıl başlarına kadar giderek artan bu kitaplar sultanların hazinesinde korunmuş, zaman zaman bunlardan bir kısmını okuma amacıyla has odalarına veya hareme getirterek muhafaza etmiş ve tekrar hazinelerine koydurmuşlardı.

18. yüzyıl başlarında Sultan Üçüncü Ahmed (1703-1830) Enderunlu ağalar için bir kütüphane binası yaptırarak kendi hazinesinden çok sayıda eseri buraya vakfetti. Kütüphane 9. yüzyıldan hükümdarın dönemine yani 18. yüzyıla kadar başta Arapça olmak üzere Farsça ve Türkçe kitaplardan oluşmaktaydı ve saray okulu demek olan Enderun’daki ağaların eğitimine uygun olarak çeşitli bilim dallarını kapsıyordu.

Bu kütüphaneyi Sultan Birinci Mahmud’un (1730-1754) 1733′te Revan Köşkü’ne has oda ağaları için kurup vakfettiği kütüphane izledi. Sultan Birinci Abdülhamid (1774-1789) ise Bağdat köşküne aynı amaçla bir başka kütüphane vakfetti. Osmanlı padişahları Enderun’daki bu kitaplıkların yanısıra İstanbul’da başka kütüphaneler de yaptırıp kitaplar bağışladılar.

İşte bu kütüphaneleri dolduran kitapların kaynağı olan Hazine kütüphanesinin zenginliği Osmanlı sultanlarının gerek içerik açısından, gerekse estetik beğenileri dolayısıyla kitap sanatına ne kadar büyük değer verdiklerini açıkça gösterir.

Yavuz Sultan Selim (1512-1520) ve Kanuni Sultan Süleyman (1520-1566) döneminde sarayın kitap hazinesi giderek büyüdü. Saray koleksiyonunun önemli bir bölümü ganimet ve hediye yolu ile oluşurken saray nakkaşhanesinde de Osmanlı kitap sanatının seçkin örnekleri hazırlanıyor, resimlerle ve tezhiplerle bezeniyordu.

Hükümdarların tükenmeyen ilgileri bu koleksiyonların zenginleşmesini sağladı. Topkapı Sarayı’nın kütüphaneleri padişahların verdikleri kitap siparişleriyle ve kendilerine gelen hediyelerle bugünkü saygın ve özel konumuna ulaştı. Bu kitaplıklar 8. yüzyıldan 19. yüzyıla dek uzanan bir zaman dilimi içerisinde Cebelitarık’tan Hindistan’a kadar İslam dünyasının geniş coğrafyasında hazırlanmış en seçkin ve önemli el yazması eserleri barındırır.

Bunun yanısıra Topkapı Sarayı koleksiyonlarında Osmanlı İmparatorluğu’nun geniş hudutları içinde bulunan özellikle Balkan kültürlerinin önemli ve değerli kitaplarıyla batılı ülkelerden armağan edilen çeşitli baskı kitaplar da bugüne kadar özenle korunmuştir.

18 bin 500 civarında el yazması ve baskı kitabın yanısıra harita ve hat sanatı örneklerinin bulunduğu Topkapı Sarayı Müzesi Kütüphanesi, özellikle İslami hat, minyatür, tezhib ve cilt sanatının son derece zengin ve en ünlü koleksiyonudur.

Osmanlı hükümdarları kitapları sadece toplamakla kalmadılar, bizzat kendileri de çok sayıda eser, özellikle de ‘divan’ denilen şiir kitapları kaleme aldılar. Padişahların neredeyse tamamı şairdi ve bazıları Türk Edebiyatı’nın önde gelen isimlerinden sayılırdı. Bu hükümdarların cildi, yazısı ve tezhibi birbirinden nefis divanları Topkapı Sarayı Müzesi Kitaplığı’nın en seçkin parçalarından sayılır.

Saray kitaplığı Fatih Sultan Mehmed döneminde hazırlanmış çok değerli eserlerle doludur. Hıristiyan ve İslam dünyasının özellikle bilimsel eserlerine büyük ilgi duyduğu bilinen Fatih sarayda felsefe, tarih, coğrafya ve tıp konularında Arapça, Farsça ve Türkçe eserler hazırlattığı gibi, eski Yunanca kitaplar da yazdırmış, bunların arasına geçmişin seçkin el yazmalarını katmıştı.

Fatih’in oğlu İkinci Bayezid’in (1481-1512) kitaplar ve bu sanat dalına tutkusu en az babası kadardı. Tarihi belgeler bize bu sultanın 600′den fazla kitap toplamış olduğunu bildirmektedir.

Padişahlar arasında kitap sanatına ve kitaplara en düşkün olanlar İkinci Selim (1566-1574) ve özellikle de oğlu Üçüncü Murad’dır (1574-1595). Üçüncü Murad’ın döneminde Osmanlı hanedan tarihinin saray hattatları tarafından hazırlanmış kitaplarını ünlü nakkaşlar resimleyip bezediler. 15. yüzyılın Türkmenlerle Timur devletinden gelen eserleriyle beraber 16. yüzyıl Safevi kitap sanatının resimli örnekleri de hediye yoluyla Topkapı Sarayı Hazinesi’ne aktı. Birinci Mahmud’un Revan Köşkü’ne vakfettiği kütüphanede de ise her konuda seçme eserler bulunmasına rağmen tarihi eserler çoğunluktaydı.

Source: © 2003 KadinVeAile.com

Autor(en): Landau, Jacob M.
Titel: Exploring Ottoman and Turkish History
Ort: London
Verlag: C. Hurst & Co
Jahr: 2004
ISBN: 1-85065-752-1
Umfang/Preis: 433 S.; € 46,26

Rezensiert für H-Soz-u-Kult von:
Wolfgang G. Schwanitz, Deutsches Orient-Institut Hamburg

Dieser Band eines Meisters seiner Fächer vereint Schriften aus vier Jahrzehnten. Eine Hälfte widmet Jacob M. Landau der späten osmanischen Geschichte, die andere der Türkei und den von ihr geprägten Räumen im Kaukasus und in Mittelasien. Der emeritierte Professor für Politikwissenschaft an der Hebräischen Universität von Jerusalem hat den Band so geordnet, das er beispielhaft die Spannbreite seiner Interessen aufhellt. Neun Abschnitte umfassen Ideologien, die späte Geschichte des Osmanischen Reiches sowie Institutionen und Parteien in der Republik Türkei. Sodann kommen Essays über Biographien und Reisende sowie Aufsätze über Kultur und Erziehung. Die letzten drei Abschnitte bergen Ausführungen zur Sprache und Politik, zur jüdischen Gemeinschaft sowie drei Rezensionen. In jedem Beitrag ist die Quelle der Erstpublikation vermerkt. (more…)

As the main scientific library of the Republic of Austria, the Austrian National Library (ANL) can look back on a history rich in tradition dating to the 14th century. (more…)

by Olga Vasilieva, Curator of the MS Department Oriental Collection.

Imperial Public Library started acquiring manuscripts in oriental languages as soon as it was established in 1795. By the time it was officially inaugurated in 1812 it had accumulated 183 such manuscripts, 103 of them being from P.P. Dubrovsky’s collection. (more…)

ISLAMIC ART IN THE CALOUSTE GULBENKIAN COLLECTION
Bait Al Zubair Museum, Oman
Ed. Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
117 pages
ISBN 972-8848-17-X
€ 27

The profusely illustrated exhibition catalogue (English and Arabic editions) includes pieces from a broad range of Islamic arts, produced between the late twelfth and the twentieth centuries in the same geographical areas as those represented in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum’s permanent exhibition.

The texts have been written by museum curators Maria Fernanda Passos Leite e Maria Queiroz Ribeiro

The Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation was established by Calouste Sarkis Gulbenkian’s will dated 1953 and founded in July 1956.

The Calouste Gulbenkian Collection comprises some 6000 pieces. The Museum houses on the permanent exhibition galleries 1000 of its most representative works. A short selection choice of the most outstanding pieces in the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum belonging to different sections are presented here.

Calouste Gulbenkian’s interest in artistic production from Persia, Turkey, Syria, the Caucasus and India, dating from the twelfth to the eighteenth centuries, is very much in evidence here. The numerous objects on display include carpets, fabrics, illuminated manuscripts, book bindings, mosque lamps, painted tiles and ceramics, namely from Iznik.

The Library

The Art Library, formerly named General Library and subsequently General Library of Art was created in 1968 with the aim of gathering the collections of the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Initially its holdings supported the collection and activities of the Gulbenkian Museum, and included the private library of Calouste Gulbenkian formed by about 3000 titles.

Address:
Av. de Berna 45A
1067-001 Lisboa Codex
Tel: 21 7823000
Fax: 21 7823032

Source: © 2002 Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian

The Art of the Book from East to West and Memories of the Ottoman World
Masterpieces of the Calouste Gulbenkian Collection
From 14 April to 28 May, 2006
Sakip Sabançi Museum, Istanbul

In the year when the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation celebrates its fiftieth anniversary this exhibition hosted in the hometown of its founder, helps to reveal a lesser known aspect of Calouste Gulbenkian´s choices as a collector, displaying an exceptional selection of manuscripts and printed books from East and West, ranging from the thirteenth to the twentieth century. The exhibition is complemented by other works of art that help to give an insight into the man who, during his life-time, assembled an outstanding collection that ranges from classical antiquity to the twentieth century, reflecting the eclectic nature and varied influences that Oriental and Western cultures had on his character.

Source: © 2002 Fundação Calouste Gulbenkian

Notable museums in Turkey:

The Galata Mevlevi Lodge (mevlevihane) or as it is also known the Kulekapı Mevlevi Lodge which is now serving as a museum, is one of the institutions which reflect the culture of the era in the best possible way. The Mevlevi Lodges which for centuries combined scholarship with music, had a great influence on the Turkish culture. A great number of those people who came together in a Mevlevi Lodge environment were educated in various areas of fine arts and their names were remembered for a long time as far as science and scholarship was concerned. The Mevlevi Lodge which is located at the top of the steep street going down to Yüksekkaldırım is the oldest Mevlevi Lodge of İstanbul. It was built in 1491, on the hunting grounds of İskender Pasha who was a governor - general during the times of Sultan Bayezid. Its first master was Mehmet Mehmed Sema-i Çelebi. The building was struck by fire during the reign of Sultan Mustafa III. (1766) but was replaced by the existing Mevlevi Lodge by the same Sultan. In later years, the building underwent repairs during the reigns of Sultans Selim III, Mahmud II and Abdüllmecid. The institution which carried out its activities until 1925 was once more restored between the years 1967 - 1972. The Mevlevi Lodge which was built as a complex contained rooms and spaces for pray chanting, dervish cells, the quarters of the master (şeyh), special prayer (namaz) area for the Sultan, the section for the female members, library, fountain for the public, clock room, kitchen, mausoleums and an enclosed graveyard. (more…)

Notable Museums:

Turkish and Islamic Works Museum is the first Turkish museum covering the Turkish and Islamic art works wholly. The establishment works that have been started at the end of 19th century have been completed in 1913 and the museum has been opened for visit in the soup kitchen building located in Süleymaniye Mosque complex, which is one of the most important works of Mimar Sinan, with the name of “Evkaf - ı İslamiyet Müzesi” (Islamic Foundations Museum). After the announcement of the republic, it has taken the name “Turkish and Islamic Works Museum”. (more…)

Calligraphy is more than handwriting. It is a “spiritual technique” that beaches out with grace and elegance to engage the eve, mind and soul…

Written by Kamel Al-Baba

In a broad sense, calligraphy is merely handwriting, a means of recording and transmitting information, sometimes clearly, sometimes not, but in most instances hastily and with little regard for its appearance. In the Arab world calligraphy is something more. It is an art—indeed the chief form of visual art—with a history, a gallery of great masters and hallowed traditions. It is an art of grace and elegance which inspires wonderment for its appearance alone.

What distinguishes calligraphy from ordinary handwriting is, quite simply, beauty. Handwriting may express ideas, even great ideas, but to the Arab it must express, too, the richer dimension of aesthetics. Calligraphy to the Arab is, as the Alexandrian philosopher Euclid expressed it, “a spiritual technique,” flowing quite naturally from the influence of Islam. (more…)

Abdullah of Yedikule was the favourite pupil of the celebrated calligrapher Hafiz Osman Efendi, and we know from the register of calligraphers that he received his icazet in 1102 H. He achieved great beauty and perfection in his use of Thuluth and Naskhi and was awarded both praise and protection by Sultan Ahmed Ill. He produced twenty-four Qur’ans as well as a number of Enams, Evrads, Kit’as, Murak’kas and Hilye-i Serifs. He had a large number of pupils. Most of his works are preserved in the Nuruosmaniye Library. Abdullah Effendi was greatly loved and admired by his teacher. He used the name Seyyid to indicate that he was descended from the family of the Prophet. He bid farewell to this transitory world in 1144 H.

Introduction

A Brief History of Ottoman Calligraphy

When, in the tenth century, the Turks migrated to the West from their original home in the steppes of northwest China, they came into contact in Turkestan, Afghanistan and Iran with the religion and culture of the Islamic world. The mass conversion to Islamic, which resulted from this migration, was accompanied by the abandonment of the old Uyghur alphabet they had formerly employed and the adoption of the Arabic script they were to use for nearly a thousand years until the introduction of the new Turkish alphabet in 1928. But the inherently artistic nature of the Turks inspired them with deep love for the Arabic script, which they themselves greatly improved by the introduction of a number of changes in form.
It was the Ottoman Turks who produced and perfected several varieties of this type of script. All the various branches of the art of calligraphy, an art greatly loved and respected by the Ottoman Turks, flourished particularly in the city of Istanbul, the administrative center of the Ottoman State, and it was in Istanbul that the finest and most mature works were produced. (more…)

OTTOMAN ARCHIVES
prepared by Necati Aktaş, İsmet Binark;
translated by Salih Sadawi Salih;
edited and preface by Ekmeleddin İhsanoğlu,
published in cooperation with the University of Jordan, Centre for Archives and Manuscripts,
Amman, 1986 (in Arabic)

This book contains a brief history of the Ottoman Archives, a description of the present classification systems used in the archives, explanations of archival regulations and procedures of research.
Out of stock (available on CD-ROM)

THE THULUTH AND NASKH MASHQS OF MEHMED ŞEVKI EFENDI
prepared by Mohammed Tamimi
Istanbul, 1999 (in Arabic, preface in English and Turkish)

The exercise book prepared by calligrapher Mehmed Şevki Efendi (1829-1887) for the thuluth and naskh calligraphic:sfj useful tool for those who wish to upgrade their sfcij This publication will be followed by exercise booji other styles of calligraphy.

ISBN 92-9063-087-6

Source: http://www.ircica.org/

SALNAMELER VE NEVSALLER OTTOMAN YEARBOOKS (SALNAMES AND NEVSALS)
compiled by Hasan Duman Istanbul, 1982

Union catalogue and bibliographic work about state and provincial yearbooks (Salnames) published by the Ottoman State between the years 1847-1918. It gives general and specific information about a wide geographical area, where there are presently more than 20 states. Preface, explanations and annotations in English, Arabic and Turkish.
Out of stock (available on CD-ROM)

Ottoman Yearbooks (Salnames and Nevsals): “The book presently under review supersedes by far any previous attempt to catalogue the salnames and nevsals.” Kemal Karpat, International Journal of Middle East Studies, 16 (1984)

“This catalogue should interest demographers as well as historians. We join H. Duman in his request that researchers send IRCICA their own set of references so that one day we may hope to see a truly comprehensive union catalogue of this important set of statistical yearbooks.” L. Bisharat, MESA Bulletin, Vol. 18, July 1984

Source:http://www.ircica.org/

TURKISH ART AND ARCHITECTURE,
by Oktay Aslanapa, translated by Ahmad Issa,
Istanbul, 1987 (illustrated, in Arabic)

This book is a comprehensive encyclopedic work on the history of Turkish art and architecture, covering various branches of art such as carpet-making, the arts of the book including calligraphy, miniatures and binding, etc. Originally published in English. A glossary of 600 art terms has been added to the work.
ISBN 92-9063-352-2

IRCICA is an international institution active in the fields of research, publishing, documentation and information. Its mandate covers multifarious themes in the fields of the history of Muslim nations, history of arts and sciences in Islam, and other subject areas in Islamic culture and civilisation. By means of these activities, IRCICA aims at studying and better introducing the Islamic culture and civilisation throughout the world and acting as a catalyst for research and cooperation in these areas to promote mutual understanding between Muslims and with other nations and cultures of the world. (more…)

The Middle East Librarians Association is a private, non-profit, non-political organization of librarians and others interested in those aspects of librarianship which support the study of or dissemination of information about the Middle East. The area signified is considered to include those countries from Morocco through Pakistan as well as other areas formerly included in the Arab, Ottoman, or Mughal empires.

Source: http://www.mela.us/

The origins of this library lie in the former manuscript holdings of the Iraqi Museum Library, which were started in 1940, and subsequently became a prime national repository for manuscripts, growing from a total of about 4,000 in 1968 to about 38,000 in 1988. In that year, following the example of the former British Museum Library in London, ownership was transferred to a separate library institution, the Saddam Manuscripts Library. This occupied a group of houses in central Baghdad, near the Museum, and its holdings by 2003 have been variously estimated at about 50,000 (Deeb, Albin and Haley) and about 70,000 (Metenier). This rapid expansion resulted from the incorporation of numerous private and smaller institutional collections throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Numerous catalogues of the manuscripts were published, both before and after the transfer from the Museum; they are listed, with a brief survey of the holdings up to 1992, in the Iraq sections of al-Furqān Foundation’s World Survey of Islamic Manuscripts (written by Dr Naqshabandi himself).

World Survey of Islamic Manuscripts Volume I, English edition
Edited by Geoffrey Roper
Year 1992
ISBN 1 873992 01 7
Pages 569
Price £ 50.00

Contents

This volume is one of 4 resulting from al-Furqan’s pioneering project to conduct a comprehensive survey of Islamic manuscript collections throughout the world. One hundred and six countries were eventually covered, including hitherto unknown collections in African countries such as Benin, Chad, the Comoro Islands, Ethiopia, Gambia, Guinea, Kenya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Sierra Leone, South Africa and Togo. European countries whose collections have been described for the first time include Albania, Cyprus, Greece and some countries of the former Soviet Union, such as Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. Information about collections of Islamic manuscripts in Bangladesh, China, Japan, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines and Thailand was also gathered for the first time. Any manuscript written in the Arabic script was included in the survey. The largest proportion of manuscripts were in Arabic, followed by Persian and Turkish. There was no restriction on the language of the manuscripts; the survey contains descriptions of collections containing manuscripts written in Urdu, Swahili, Punjabi, Hindi and Kurdish. This volume covers Afghanistan, Albania, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Benin, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Cameron, Canada, Croatia, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Ghana, Hungary, Indonesia and Iran. There are also indices of languages and names. (more…)

Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation was established in London in 1988 by the Yamani Cultural and Charitable Foundation. It is housed in a historic Jacobean manor: Eagle House. The Foundation has as its aim the documentation and preservation of the Islamic written heritage. It is pursuing this aim principally through its work in surveying, cataloguing, editing and publishing Islamic manuscripts. (more…)

The Faculty of Arts has been launched during the academic year 2001-2002. It is still receiving the new students. The lectures start in the very near future. The faculty of Arts has as objective to teach Islamic Arts such as Calligraphy in terms of their characteristics and developments throughout the Islamic history. (more…)

The L.A. Mayer Museum was founded by the late Mrs. Vera Bryce Salomons, realizing her long-standing idea of giving expression to the impressive artistic achievements of Israel’s Muslim neighbors. Mrs. Salomons dedicated the Museum to her friend and teacher, Prof. Leo Arie Mayer. The Museum was opened to the public in 1974. (more…)

The Beit al-Qur’an collection of Qur’anic manuscripts is one of the most comprehensive of its type in the world. This great collection includes magnificent calligraphic works from as early as the first century hijra (7th / 8th CE) to the present day, from all regions of the Islamic world, from China to Andalusian Spain. Manuscripts from 1st and 1st/2nd century of hijra are available at this website. It is a privately-owned collection. More information about Beit al-Qur’an and other museums in Bahrain is also available.

BEIT AL QUR’AN,
P.O. BOX 2000,
MANAMA, BAHRAIN

TEL. (973) 17290101
FAX (973) 17292709
Email alquran@batelco.com.bh

Timings are:
Saturday to Wednesday:
Morning : 9.00 a.m. to 12.00 Noon
Evening : 4.00 p.m. to 6.00 p.m.

Thursday : 9.00 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.

The Qur’an Manuscripts in the al-Haram al-Sharif Islamic Museum, Jerusalem
2001 • 206 pages • 290 x 230 mm • 179 colour photographs • Cased• ISBN 1 85964 132 6

Khader Salameh

Of the many ways in which Muslims through the ages have sought to express their faith, none is more impressive than that of Qur’anic calligraphy and illumination. The legacy of this elaborate art forms a comprehensive yet cohesive whole which has both assimilated and adapted to the cultural differences that exist over the vast distances separating the regions of the Islamic world. In this beautifully illustrated book Khader Salameh shows how the art has developed over time as he studies a selection of Qur’an manuscripts held in the al-Haram al-Sharif Islamic Museum in the al-Aqsa Mosque, Jerusalem. (more…)

This museum was established in 1923 by the Islamic Legal Council in Palestine. The manuscript collection of the Islamic Museum consists entirely of masahif of the Qur’an, numbering 644, donated over centuries to Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock. Some were presented by rulers and private individuals, and others have been donated by such Palestinian cities as Hebron and Nablus.

The Qur’anic manuscripts vary in type, age and size. Many are rab`at (i.e., they were copied in thirty fascicles and stored in a chest, or rab`a). The oldest is Kufic, from the end of the second century after hijra, while the most recent is a copy from the thirteenth century after hijra. Sizes range from 16 x 11.5 cm. to the massive second volume of the Qur’an of the Mamluk Sultan Qa’t Bay (r. 872-901/1468-1496), which measures 110 x 90 cm. and is 15 cm. thick. The majority of the Qur’anic manuscripts are splendidly illuminated and decorated , the exceptions being for the most part the copies of the late Ottoman period. (more…)

This library has one of the oldest (established in 861 AH/1457 CE) collection of Islamic manuscripts in the Muslim world and the most important in Iran.It has about 29,000 manuscripts in Arabic, Persian and Turkish. Of the 29,000 manuscripts it possess, 11,000 are manuscripts of the Qur’an, thus making it the largest Qur’anic manuscript collection in the world. It is also important in that it contains a large number of magnificent, old and illuminated Qur’anic manuscripts, including several old Kufic Qur’anic manuscripts written on deer skin, other with marvellous illuminations from 3rd century hijra (9th century CE) onwards, and some written by famous calligraphers. The manuscripts are catalogued in various publication as can be seen in the reference below.

[1] G. Roper (ed.), World Survey Of Islamic Manuscripts, 1992, Volume I, Al-Furqan Islamic Heritage Foundation, London, pp. 481-486.

The manuscript collection in Dar al-Kutub is regarded as one of the largest and most important in the world. The total number of manuscripts in this library are 50,755 out of which 47,065 are in Arabic, 996 in Persian and 2,150 in Turkish. (more…)

The Great Mosque of San`a’, established in 6th year of hijra when the Prophet(P) entrusted one of his companions to build a mosque. It is considered to be the first mosque in Yemen and among the oldest in Islamic world. The mosque was extended and enlarged by Islamic rulers from time to time. The manuscript collection (ca. 7,000) of the Great Mosque is housed in three libraries in the mosque complex. (more…)

by Efim A. Rezvan
(St.Petersburg, Katta-Langar, Bukhara, Tashkent)

Since the late 15th century, the Qur’anic manuscript, one of the most important in the world, was preserved in the memorial complex of the ‘Ishqiyya Sufi brotherhood in the small village of Katta-Langar, some 100 km to the south of Samarqand. It was venerated for centuries as a genuine copy of the ‘Uthmanic Qur’an, written in the hand of the third righteous caliph and bearing traces of his blood.

Ninety seven large parchment folios in Hijazi script dated to the 8th century A.D. are held now in St. Petersburg, Katta Langar, Bukhara and Tashkent. They contain approximately half the text of the Qur’an. The history of the manuscript spans at least twelve centuries and tells a remarkable tale of dynasties and states, cities and people. It is, in essence, the story of Islamic civilisation itself, from its emergence in Arabia in the seventh century to the triumph of Islam, which survived and outlasted communism in the Muslim republics of the former USSR.

Prof. Efim Rezvan, author of the project, is the well known specialist in Qur’anic studies, Deputy Director of the Kunstkamera Museum and Editor-in-Chief of “Manuscripta Orientalia”, International Journal for Oriental MSS Research. His latest book “The Qur’an and Its World” received the UNESCO award (”for the important contribution to the culture of non-violence and dialogue among the civilisations”), the title of the best book published in Russia in 2001 and the World Prize for the Book of the Year of the Islamic Republic of Iran (2002).

New monograph of the scholar presents a thorough study of the manuscript, viewing it historically through the prism of how the Qur’anic text was gradually established. The study is equipped with a facsimile reproduction of the manuscript (black and white in the book and in full colour in the DVD). The DVD also contains video film by Efim Rezvan and Sasha Abashkin “Searching for the Qur’an of ‘Uthman” (52 minutes). The story of the Muslim scripture based on the unique manuscript and field materials could be very important for mutual understanding and inter-confessional dialogue both in Russia and world-wide.

Copyright © 2000-2004 by Thesa Publishers. All Rights Reserved.

by E.A.Rezvan

In the early 1960s, a collection of exquisite, enamel-encrusted gold cigarette cases adorned with diamonds, sapphires, rubies was bequeathed to the Musee des Arts Decoratifs in Paris. They were the gift of a somewhat mysterious elderly man named Charles Antoine Roger Luzarche d’Azay. Nearly every cigarette case bears a strange Arabic inscription. Many of them were decorated with ornaments based on Islamic art traditions. (more…)

The history of the St. Petersburg Branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies can be traced back to 1818, when the Asian Museum of the Imperial Academy of Sciences was founded in St. Petersburg. The Museum was keeping the Eastern antiquities and books of the famous collection of the Russian Tsar Peter the Great. The collection was enhanced during the XIX century through the voluntary donations of the personal libraries and archives of envoys, travellers, statesmen, merchants and scholars. In 1930 the Institute of Oriental studies was organized on the base of the Museum, in 1951 it moved to Moscow, keeping the Branch in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg. From 1996 to 2003 St. Petersburg Branch of the Institute of Oriental Studies was headed by a famous specialist on history of China and Central Asia Professor Evgeny I. Kychanov. (more…)

By Leonid Kulikov

One of the most striking peculiarities of the infrastructure of Russian science as a whole and Oriental Studies in particular consists in the subdividing of scientific activity into two main “streams”, namely the so-called “academic” science as opposed to university (high school) science. All the academic institutes are dominated by the Russian Academy of Sciences, the main co-ordinator of scientific activity in Russia. Most importantly, most of the scholars affiliated to academic institutes do not teach at all, some of them have only a few (max. 3-4) post-graduate students (”aspirants”), so they do not need to distribute their working time between teaching and research proper. In some periods, the staff of such large institutes as the Institute of Oriental studies in Russia reached about 1,000 researchers.

One more striking feature of the Russian science (at least of the Humanities) consists of a clear-cut concentration of scientific activity in the two chief cities of European Russia, Moscow and St.Petersburg. This is due to the fact that the major budget assignation for scientific research is forwarded to the academic institutes, of which almost all are situated in Moscow and St.Petersburg. Furthermore the great majority of recent scientific publications from all over the world are received by only two or three main libraries situated in these two cities. This creates a situation which is very unusual for such countries as the USA or Germany where the scientific resources are distributed more or less proportionally among various centres (in particular, small university cities). (more…)

The Skilliter Centre for Ottoman Studies supports research into the history, literature and culture of the Ottoman Empire. It seeks to encourage knowledge and understanding of a major Muslim empire with large European and Mediterranean territories, and to assist scholars from many disciplines in exploring connections between their own work and Ottoman studies. It is the only research centre devoted purely to Ottoman Studies in the UK and Western Europe and has an international profile. The Skilliter Centre, which has no political affiliations or agenda, is administered by Newnham College, Cambridge, and receives support from a generous legacy from Dr Susan Skilliter, formerly University Lecturer in Turkish. (more…)

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Many works created after the year 1925 may be under copyright by the artist, the artist’s heirs, a auction house or a foundation holding the rights to those works. Without prior permission from the holder of the underlying copyright, such works may not be used in any form; they may not be copied, downloaded or clipped. Prior to requesting the use of a transparency or digital image of such works, a license must be obtained from the artist or the artist’s representative for the specific use intended. Without such permission from the artist, the DIA will not release images in any form for any use including educational or non profit applications.

Low-resolution images may be published in electronic media only. We do not allow print reproduction of these images in any form.

All images on these JOC Web pages are “Photograph © Antik A.Ş.” or “Photograph © name of the copyholder.”Reproduction of these images requires licensing through the Rights and Reproduction Department of the copyholder. Licensing is limited to the specific permissions granted in our contract, and any use outside the terms of license will constitute a breach of our contract.

Notable Museums:

Turkish and Islamic Works Museum is the first Turkish museum covering the Turkish and Islamic art works wholly. The establishment works that have been started at the end of 19th century have been completed in 1913 and the museum has been opened for visit in the soup kitchen building located in Süleymaniye Mosque complex, which is one of the most important works of Mimar Sinan, with the name of “Evkaf - ı İslamiyet Müzesi” (Islamic Foundations Museum). After the announcement of the republic, it has taken the name “Turkish and Islamic Works Museum”.

The museum has been moved to İbrahim Pasha Palace from the soup kitchen building in 1983. Ibrahim Pasha Palace, which is one of the most important samples of 16th Century Ottoman civil architecture samples is on the stages of the historical hippodrome, the history of which goes back to the Roman Period. This building, the precise construction reason and date are not known, has been presented to İbrahim Pasha by Kanuni Sultan Süleyman in 1520, who would be his grand vizier for 13 years. (more…)

Daniel J. Cohen and Roy Rosenzweig. Digital History: A Guide to Gathering, Preserving, and Presenting the Past on the Web. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2006. 316 pp. Illustrations, photos, notes, index. $28.95 (paper), ISBN 0-8122-1923-6.

Reviewed by: Brad Eden, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Published by: H-HRE (March, 2006)

The Web for Historians

This book is a thorough, easy-to-understand introduction to the web for historians, as well as for anyone wishing to post any type of historical document on the web. Anyone wishing to develop and construct an online historical work or project will find step-by-step instructions for doing so, from initiating, planning, designing, and digitization, to copyright, interactivity, and more. The authors have a wealth of experience in online historical projects and websites. Cohen is Director of Research Projects at the Center for History and New Media (CHNM) and Assistant Professor of History at George Mason University, while Rosenzweig is the founder and director of CHNM and also serves as Professor of History at George Mason University. Together, the two men build on their decade of experience and expertise at CHNM, where their work has won numerous awards. (more…)

A Collector´s Vision

The Journal of Ottoman Calligraphy is dedicated to Islamic art and Ottoman calligraphy and it is currently a Online journal. The JOC is a semi-academic online periodical devoted to the subject, and has been spearheading the ongoing discussion defining Islamic and Ottoman calligraphy, since its founding in 2006. JOC is a refereed online journal that publishes essays and reviews on all aspects, areas and periods of the history of Islamic and Ottoman calligraphy, from a diversity of perspectives.

Most articles are in English, with a few appearing in other European languages and in Turkish. Each volume also includes a calender of events and a list of puplications concerning Islamic and Ottoman calligraphy worldwide.

The mission of the JOC is to delight, inspire, and educate a diverse public through the collection, preservation, exhibition and interpretation of works of Islamic and Ottoman calligraphy. The JOC is a non-commercial project.

About the Founder
The JOC was founded by Mr. Vedat Yuecel in April 2006 as a project. He is collecting since his 16th birthday works of Ottoman calligraphy. He likes as every collector to share his passionate love for Ottoman calligraphy with a large audience. JOC is presenting here masterpieces of Ottoman calligraphy from Private Collections around Turkey.

He is currently working on a “Museum Project” in Frankfurt to open a Calligraphy Gallery.

Please feel free to contact us if you have any suggestions and questions. JOC welcomes always essays and reviews, please contact us at: editor@nonbooks.net