| Siyer-i Nebi | |
|---|---|
 The birth ofMuhammad in the Siyer-i-Nebi | |
| Information | |
| Religion | Islam |
| Author | Mustafa ofErzurum |
| Language | Ottoman Turkish |
| Period | Era of Transformation |
Siyer-i Nebi (Ottoman Turkish:سیر نبی) is anOttoman epicon the life of the Islamic prophetMuhammad, completed around 1388, written by Mustafa (son of Yusuf ofErzurum, known as al-Darir), aMevlevidervish on the commission of SultanBarquq, theMamluk ruler inCairo. The text is based on the 13th-century writings of Abu’l Hasan al-Bakri andIbn Hisham (d. 833). This epic would later be illustrated by Mustafa ibn Vali in the late 16th century, as commissioned by his patron, SultanMurad III.[1]
The Ottoman ruler Murad III (1574–1595) commissioned a lavish illustrated copy of the epic, which has been described as "the largest single cycle of religious painting inIslamic art" and "the most complete visual portrayal of the life of the prophet Muhammad".[2] The famouscalligrapher Lutfi Abdullah (Lütfi Abdullah) was in charge of the workshop at the royal palace, and completed the work under Murad's successorMehmed III, on 16 January 1595. The completed work contained 814 miniatures in six volumes, which include manydepictions of Muhammad, who is always shown with a veiled face, as was the convention during the time period; he is also surrounded by flames, which is the eastern equivalent of ahalo. The style of the miniatures is distinctive, and owes nothing to earlier treatments of these subjects, as well as being "strikingly different" to the normal realist style ofOttoman miniatures; its origins remain unclear. There are a few figures in each scene, no extensive landscapes, and a "suppression of detail".[3]
Volumes I, II and VI are in theTopkapı Museum (Hazine 1221–1223); Volume III is in theNew York Public Library; Volume IV is (mostly) in theChester Beatty Library inDublin (MS T 419),[4] and Volume V is missing, as are about 200 of the miniatures in total. About two dozen of the miniatures are in the hands of privatecollectors. Four were sold at theHôtel Drouot auction house inParis in March 1984.[citation needed] Two folios from Volume IV are in theKhalili Collection of Islamic Art.[5]
A 17th century copy of Volume IV, made in the court atelier, is in theMuseum of Turkish and Islamic Arts,Sultanahmet,Istanbul. It was donated to a mosque library inAksaray, Istanbul, by the Sultan's mother in 1862–1863.[6]
Media related toSiyer-i Nebi at Wikimedia Commons
