Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art. The museum was founded in 1914, initially as an Islamic Foundation Museum (Vakıf-ı İslamiye Museum) within the Süleymaniye complex. It is useful for readers interested in Turkey Travel, Islamic Art, Museum Visit.

The museum was founded in 1914, initially as an Islamic Foundation Museum (Vakıf-ı İslamiye Museum) within the Süleymaniye complex. After the establishment of the Republic of Turkey in 1923, it was renamed the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, and its exhibits shifted from Ottoman imperial culture to showcasing the culture and art of the Islamic world across various periods. In 1983, the museum moved to its current location, the Ibrahim Pasha Palace, and currently houses over 40,000 artifacts, including Islamic calligraphy, tiles, carpets, and other works of art.





Table of Contents

I. The Era of the Prophet

II. The Umayyad Caliphate: 661-750

III. The Abbasid Caliphate: 750-1258

IV. Artifacts from Konya, Capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum

V. Ceramics of the Seljuk Empire: 1040-1157

VI. The Ayyubid Dynasty: 1171-1250

VII. The Mamluk Sultanate: 1250-1517

VIII. The Ilkhanate: 1256-1353

IX. The Timurid Empire: 1370-1507

X. The Safavid Dynasty: 1501-1722

XI. The Ottoman Dynasty: 1299-1923

I. The Era of the Prophet

The beard of the Prophet Muhammad (Lihye-i Saadet) and his footprint (Kadem-i Saadat).





II. The Umayyad Caliphate: 661-750

The Umayyad Caliphate was the first hereditary dynasty of the Arab Empire. It was established in 661 by Muawiyah, the former governor of Syria, after the era of the four Rightly Guided Caliphs ended. In Chinese historical records, it is known as the 'White-Robed Caliphate'.

A Quran manuscript from the early 8th century



A 7th-century stone inscription in Kufic Arabic calligraphy







III. The Abbasid Caliphate: 750-1258

In 750, the descendants of Abbas, the uncle of the Prophet Muhammad, overthrew the Umayyad family and established the Abbasid Caliphate. In Chinese historical records, it is known as the 'Black-Robed Caliphate'. In 762, the Abbasid Caliphate moved its capital to Baghdad. The early period of the Abbasid Caliphate (750-842) was the peak of the Arab Empire, and its major cultural and artistic achievements continued until the mid-10th century.

Although the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate was in Baghdad, its monuments stretched from Kairouan in Tunisia to the west, to the ancient Central Asian city of Bukhara to the east. Many cities founded by the Abbasid Caliphate saw further development later on. In the early Abbasid period, the hypostyle mosque with a flat roof, inherited from the residence of the Prophet Muhammad in Medina, was further developed. Artisans from Persia introduced the Sassanid four-iwan courtyard and the iwan (vaulted hall) into Abbasid architecture. In the late 8th century, with the influx of Khorasanians and the introduction of Sassanid court etiquette into the Abbasid court, the influence of Persian culture expanded further within the Abbasid Caliphate.

A tombstone from 859



A 9th-century marble carving



Fragments of a 9th-century mural



A 10th-century Quran



9th-century column capitals and paving fragments excavated from Samarra.

Samarra is located 125 kilometers northwest of Baghdad. It became the capital of the Abbasid Caliphate in 836 until the capital was moved back to Baghdad in 892. Because Samarra was abandoned after the 10th century and the population returned to Baghdad, a large number of ruins were left behind. It is hailed as the only metropolis of the late ancient world that can be fully excavated, and it was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2007.

The Abbasid Caliphate built several palaces, barracks, markets, two grand mosques, and countless gardens and private residences in Samarra. The Great Mosque of Samarra was enormous, measuring 240 by 156 meters, and featured a hypostyle structure. Judging from the surviving mosaics and the wooden panels surrounding the mihrab, the decoration was once very magnificent. The Caliph's private residence was decorated with marble slabs, stucco sculptures, paintings, and gilded teak wood.





IV. Artifacts from Konya, Capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum

The Seljuks were a branch of the Oghuz Turkic tribes. They established the Seljuk Empire in Khorasan in 1037, defeated the Byzantines in the 1070s to occupy Asia Minor, and established the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum in 1077. The rapid expansion of the Seljuk Empire caused panic among Christian nations, directly triggering the First Crusade. In 1097, after the capital Nicaea was captured by the Crusaders, the Sultanate of Rum moved its capital eastward to Konya.

In the early 13th century, after the Mongol invasion of Central Asia and Persia, a large number of Turks and Persians came to Konya for refuge. In the 1220s, Konya was filled with refugees from the Khwarezmid Empire. Many were educated intellectuals or skilled artisans, the most famous of whom was the Sufi scholar and great Persian poet Rumi. In 1243, the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum was defeated by the Mongol Empire and became a vassal state, but Konya remained the capital of the Sultanate. People lived in stability, and many existing Seljuk buildings were constructed during this period.

Stone lions in front of the Alâeddin Pavilion (Alâeddin Köşkü). The Alâeddin Pavilion is the only remaining tower site of the Konya city walls. Located on the north side of Alâeddin Hill, it was originally a brick tower of the inner city wall of Konya. The Seljuk Sultan of Rum, Kilij Arslan II (reigned 1156-1192), built a palace adjacent to the city wall and turned this tower into part of the palace.







The Alâeddin Pavilion I photographed.



Warrior stone carving. As the capital of the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum, Konya was the final 'Turko-Persian' cultural center of the Seljuks after the fall of the Seljuk Empire. Seljuk culture is a very distinctive branch of 'Turko-Persian' culture, most famous for its tiles and stone carvings featuring human and animal motifs.



Griffin stone carving. The griffin is a common theme in Iranian mythology, possessing the body of a lion and the beak and wings of an eagle, and is considered a symbol of power.



Sphinx. The sphinx has a human head and an animal body, originating from ancient Egypt and later spreading to Iran and the Anatolian region.







A 13th-century carpet from Konya. These carpets from the Seljuk Sultanate of Rum period are among the most important collections in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, and are the most unique and precious among Seljuk artifacts.











A 13th-century Quran calligraphy tile





An early 14th-century wooden window





A 1251 tabut (coffin) box and wooden stele







A 13th-century Quran



V. Ceramics of the Seljuk Empire: 1040-1157

12th-13th century, Iran







VI. The Ayyubid Dynasty: 1171-1250

The Ayyubid dynasty was established in 1171 by the Kurdish general Saladin. It was an important dynasty during the Crusades, with its capitals successively in Damascus and Cairo. In 1260, the Mongol army captured Damascus, and the Ayyubid dynasty existed in name only.

13th-century wood carving from Damascus.







12th-13th century ceramic bowl.



A 1205 Hajj certificate





VII. The Mamluk Sultanate: 1250-1517

The Mamluk Sultanate was a state that ruled Egypt, the Levant, and the Hejaz region from the 13th to the 16th century. Most Mamluks were Kipchak Turks from Central Asia. They were brought to Western Asia as slave mercenaries and became an important force in the military during the Ayyubid dynasty. In 1260, they overthrew the Ayyubid dynasty to rule Egypt and Syria, and subsequently prevented the invasion of the Ilkhanate. In 1517, the Mamluk Sultanate was destroyed by the Ottoman Empire.

A late 14th-century Quran manuscript (Juz').



A 1380 Quran manuscript.



A 14th-century ceramic vase.



A 1282 astrolabe.



VIII. The Ilkhanate: 1256-1353

In 1256, Hulagu, the grandson of Genghis Khan, was enfeoffed as the Ilkhan, establishing the Ilkhanate. In 1260, Kublai Khan sent an envoy to issue an edict, placing the lands west of the Amu Darya up to the Egyptian border, including present-day Iran and Afghanistan, under Ilkhan rule.

A 1333-4 Quran manuscript, copied by Muhammed el-Hac Devletshah esh-Shirazi.



A 1338-9 Quran manuscript, copied by Yahya el-Sufi.



A 1318 Quran manuscript, copied by Ahmed b. al-Suhreverdi.



A 1323-4 Quran manuscript, copied by Huseyin bin Ali bin Camii.



A 1320-21 Quran manuscript, copied by Argun bin Abdullah Kamili.



Two Quran manuscript volumes (Juz') copied by Ali ibn-i Mehmed in 1306-7 and 1310-11.





A 1286-87 Quran manuscript, copied by Yakut el-Musta'simi.



IX. The Timurid Empire: 1370-1507

The Timurid dynasty was established in Samarkand in 1370 by the Chagatai Mongol noble, Timur the Great. Timur began his western campaigns in 1380, successively occupying Afghanistan and Iran. After Timur's death in 1405, his successors continued to rule Iran, and the Timurid dynasty was deeply influenced by Persian culture.

Under the rule of the Timurid dynasty, the ancient Afghan city of Herat flourished. The Timurid prince Sultan Husayn Bayqara, who ruled Herat from 1469 to 1506, strongly supported the development of Persian poetry and literature. His minister, Mir Ali-Shir Nava'i, was a famous Persian poet. Herat at that time was also famous for its architecture, miniatures, and music. The ancient Iranian city of Shiraz also became a center of art and literature during this period, hailed as the 'House of Knowledge' and the 'Athens of Iran'. Shiraz's miniatures are also world-famous.

A 15th-century book from the city of Shiraz, Iran.





1445 and 1482 books of the 'Masnavi' from Herat, Afghanistan; this is a long poem collection by the famous Persian poet Rumi.





A 15th-century book from Herat, Afghanistan.



A 1398 book from Shiraz, Iran.



X. The Safavid Dynasty: 1501-1722

The Safavid dynasty originated from the Sufi Safaviyya order, and its rulers were Kurds living in northwestern Iran. The Safavid family itself spoke Turkic and composed poetry in Turkic, but they also strongly supported Persian poetry, literature, and various forms of Persian culture and art. For over 200 years, the Safavid dynasty ruled parts of Iran, the Caucasus, Iraq, Turkey, and Afghanistan. It is considered the first native Iranian dynasty since the Sassanid Persian Empire and is also considered the beginning of modern Iran.

An early 17th-century Kashkul, a bowl used by Sufi dervishes for begging. Sufi dervishes would generally chant praises to Allah and the Prophet along the streets, then use the Kashkul to collect donated money and food. The Kashkul actually used were mostly made of coconut shells, brass, wood, or clay. They were boat-shaped and hung from the shoulder with metal chains, with a relatively simple design. This is because true Sufi dervishes had abandoned the desire for worldly wealth and devoted themselves entirely to Allah. In addition, many beautifully crafted Kashkuls were used by the wealthy as decorative items, most of which have Quranic inscriptions.



A 17th-century Quran from Shiraz.

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A 1591 Quran from Shiraz.



A 17th-century Quran volume (Juz') cover.



A 1549 Quran from Shiraz.



A 1580/1 Quran from Shiraz.





XI. The Ottoman Dynasty: 1299-1923

A late 15th-early 16th-century scripture box



14th-15th-century tiles











The book 'Zubdet'ut Tevarih (Faith, Islam, and Ottoman History)', produced in 1583 by the calligrapher Seyyid Lokman Ashuri for Sultan Murad III





A Quran written by the calligrapher Seyh Hamdullah in 1494



Chapter 6 of the Quran, 'The Cattle', written by the calligrapher Ahmed Karahisari in 1443



A Quran written by the calligrapher Hafiz Osman between 1540 and 1550



A 1612 endowment deed of Sultan Ahmed I



A 1738 Ottoman Qiblanuma (qibla compass), which is the most famous of all Ottoman qibla compasses.







An early 15th-century wooden door from the Karaman dynasty view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Notes on Visiting the Exhibition at the Museum of the Islamic Era in Iran (Part 1). The National Museum of Iran is divided into two parts: the Museum of Ancient Iran, built in 1937, and the Museum of the Islamic Era, built in 1972. It is useful for readers interested in Iran Travel, Islamic Art, Museum Visit.

The National Museum of Iran is divided into two parts: the Museum of Ancient Iran, built in 1937, and the Museum of the Islamic Era, built in 1972. The Museum of the Islamic Era displays important artifacts from various Islamic dynasties in Iran over the past thousand years, organized chronologically.





Mihrab prayer niche

Mosaic tile mihrab

A mosaic tile mihrab from 1641, from the holy city of Mashhad during the Safavid dynasty, featuring Thuluth calligraphy.







Stucco mihrab

A mihrab from 1133, from the Karrar shrine in the city of Bouzun, Isfahan province, during the Seljuk Empire. It was made by Ali ibn-e Shirzad Ansari al-Qazvini and features Thuluth, Kufic, and Reqa scripts.







A mihrab from 1308, from the Rabi' Khatoon shrine in the city of Oshtorjan, Isfahan province, during the Ilkhanate period, made by Masoud Kermani. It features Kufic and Thuluth calligraphy.













Lustreware mihrab

A lustreware mihrab from 1271, from the tomb of Habib ibn-e Musa in Kashan, Isfahan, during the Ilkhanate period, featuring Thuluth calligraphy.



A lustreware mihrab from the early 14th century, from the tomb of Hares Ibn-e Ahmad Ibn-e Zein 'Abedin in the city of Qom during the Ilkhanate period, featuring Thuluth calligraphy.







A 14th-century Ilkhanate period lustreware mihrab featuring Naskh calligraphy.



A 1333 lustreware mihrab from the Ali ibn-e Jafar shrine in the city of Qom, also known as the Gate of Paradise (Dar-e-Behesht), featuring Kufic, Naskh, and Thuluth calligraphy.













Stone mihrab

An 11th-century stone mihrab from the city of Meymeh, Isfahan province, featuring Kufic calligraphy.







A 17th-century Safavid dynasty mihrab from the Ganj mosque in Kerman, featuring Thuluth calligraphy. The Ganjali Khan complex was built between 1596 and 1631 by Ganj Ali Khan, who ruled Kerman at the time; the architect was Mohammad Soltani from Yazd.







A 16th-century Timurid dynasty mihrab from the Jameh Mosque of Abarkuh, with Thuluth calligraphy on three sides and Kufic calligraphy on the two corners. Furthermore, the mihrab features two unique and beautiful marble columns on either side, which also bear Kufic calligraphy. Abarkuh is located in Yazd province, and its Timurid-era Jameh Mosque is situated in the city center square.







A 15th-century Timurid dynasty marble mihrab featuring Thuluth and Kufic calligraphy.



A 1413 Timurid dynasty marble mihrab featuring Thuluth calligraphy.







Brickwork art

11th-century brick Kufic inscriptions from the Nezamiyyeh School in Khargerd, Khaf city, Razavi Khorasan province, northeastern Iran. Khaf is a historic city near the Iran-Afghanistan border, home to numerous ancient monuments.



















A 1148 brick Kufic inscription, possibly from the Joneyd shrine in the village of Turan Posht. Turan Posht is one of the oldest villages in Yazd province, home to the Sheikh Joneyd and Chehel Dokhtaran domed shrines, known for their exquisite Kufic calligraphy.





Wood carving art

10th-century Kufic wood carving from the city of Qom.











An 11th-century wooden door from the city of Behbahan, Khuzestan province, southwestern Iran, featuring Kufic and Naskh wood carvings.





A 1341 wooden door from Fars province, southern Iran.





Ilkhanate tiles

14th-century Ilkhanate tiles unearthed at the Takht-e Soleymān site in West Azerbaijan province. The Takht-e Soleymān site is a World Heritage site; it was originally an important Zoroastrian temple during the 5th-century Sassanid dynasty and was rebuilt in the 13th century as a summer palace for the Ilkhanate. Here, the Ilkhanate blended Eastern art with Iranian art, developing a unique Ilkhanate artistic style.

Takht-e Soleymān is the only surviving secular complex of the Ilkhanate. The walls of the Great Khan's palace are decorated with exquisite tiles, serving as a direct reflection of the cultural and artistic exchange between China and Iran in the 14th century. The tiles depict various floral, animal, and human motifs, with themes covering Buddhism, Chinese mythology, pre-Islamic Iran, as well as the Islamic Quran and Shia traditions, showcasing a fusion of multiple cultures. Some of the tiles feature themes from the famous Iranian epic, the Shahnameh, which also reflects the integration of the Ilkhanate into Iranian culture at the time.













13th-14th century Ilkhanate period tiles from the city of Saveh, Markazi province. Saveh was an important city during the Parthian Empire; it was later destroyed by the Mongol army and rebuilt during the Ilkhanate period.











13th-century Gorgan, located on the Caspian coast. Gorgan was an important city during the Sassanid Empire and remained a center for Zoroastrianism after the 8th century. Old Gorgan was destroyed by the Mongols, and the city was relocated to a new site during the Ilkhanate period.









13th-14th century Ilkhanate period tiles from Kashan, Isfahan province. During the Seljuk Empire and Ilkhanate rule from the 12th to the 14th century, Kashan was an important center for the production of high-quality pottery and tiles in Iran. In modern Persian, the word for tile (kashi) is derived from Kashan.











Artifacts from Nishapur, 9th to 11th century.

Nishapur is located on the ancient Silk Road in northeastern Iran and was once one of the four major cities of the Greater Khorasan region. In the 9th century AD, Nishapur became the capital of the Persian Tahirid dynasty. Under the rule of the Persian Samanid dynasty in the 10th century, Nishapur developed into an important cultural and commercial center of the Islamic world, continuing through the 11th-century Seljuk dynasty. Between the 9th and 11th centuries, various cultures and religions converged in Nishapur, where trade routes from Central Asia, China, Iraq, and Egypt intersected. The glazed pottery produced in Nishapur at that time became an important trade commodity in the West, once rivaling Baghdad and Cairo.

In 1221, Nishapur was massacred by the Mongols and subsequently completely destroyed; the former metropolis was buried deep underground. It was not until archaeological excavations by the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York between 1935 and 1940 that countless artifacts and ruins were discovered beneath the farmland. Today, most of the excavated Nishapur artifacts are preserved in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as in museums in Tehran and Mashhad.

According to historical records, Nishapur had at least 38 madrasas before the 11th century. Before the archaeological excavations, no ruins were visible except for a mound in the farmland. Archaeological excavations identified six layers of the Tappeh Madreseh site dating from the 9th to the 13th century; although signs of destruction and subsequent restoration or reconstruction were found in each layer, they maintained a relatively consistent overall layout.

The lowest layer of the madrasa dates back to the 9th century and is believed to have been built by the Tahirid ruler Abdallah ibn Tahir (reigned 828-845). The early spaces were large, but were further subdivided during the Samanid dynasty in the 10th century and the Seljuk dynasty in the 11th century. Overall, however, the madrasa featured a square courtyard in the center, surrounded by more than 20 rooms on three sides, with rectangular colonnades.

9th-century colored plaster murals unearthed at the Tappeh Madreseh site.







9th-century plaster hunting murals unearthed at the Tappeh Takestan site in Nishapur.





9th-10th century pottery with Kufic calligraphy.









Artifacts unearthed from the ancient city of Ray.

Ray is located in the southern suburbs of Tehran and is an important ancient city in northern Iran, referred to as 'Layi' in books such as the History of Yuan. The history of the ancient city of Ray is very old, mentioned in both the Zoroastrian Avesta and the Christian Bible.

In the 640s AD, the Sassanid dynasty used the ancient city of Ray as a base to resist the Arab invasion, but ultimately failed, and Ray came under the rule of the Arab Empire. In the 9th century AD, the Shah Abdol-Azim shrine was built in Ray, becoming an important religious site in Iran.

In 1043, the founder of the Seljuk Empire, Tuğrul Beg, made Ray the capital of the empire and carried out large-scale reconstruction of the ancient city. Under the rule of the Seljuk Empire, Ray reached its peak, with a massive bazaar and very prosperous commerce. Import and export trade, primarily in silk, connected the entire Eurasian continent. Ray was the center of painted pottery production in Iran at the time, and Ray-style painted pottery was an important handicraft of this period.

In 1220, the Mongol army invaded Ray, which was under the rule of the Khwarazmian Empire. Due to the lack of fierce resistance, the Mongols did not massacre the city. Nevertheless, the residents of the city gradually left, and the center of pottery production shifted to the southern city of Kashan. After this, Ray became a ghost town, but its sturdy walls still allowed it to be used as a military fortress during wars. It was not until the construction of the walls of Tehran in the 16th century that Ray was finally abandoned.

8th-9th century dado, located on the lower part of interior walls, serving both to protect the wall and as decoration.





11th-century Seljuk Empire period mihrab.



11th-century Seljuk Empire period circular stucco decoration with Kufic calligraphy.





A fragment of a stucco wall from an 11th-century Seljuk Empire school.



























12th-13th century pottery bowl with typical Seljuk style and overglaze Kufic calligraphy.











12th-13th century pottery bowl with transparent glaze and Taʿlīq Persian calligraphy.



Ray-style silk fabric from the early Islamic period, 7th-10th century.













Others

13th-century Kufic tile, unearthed in the city of Damghan, Semnan province, Iran.



1469 Timurid dynasty wood carving with Thuluth calligraphy.



15th-century Timurid dynasty tile with Thuluth calligraphy, unearthed in the city of Taft, Yazd province. view all

Reposted from the web

Summary: This travel note introduces Notes on Visiting the Exhibition at the Museum of the Islamic Era in Iran (Part 2). Silk garment made by Moein Mosavar in 1646. It is useful for readers interested in Iran Travel, Islamic Art, Museum Visit.





Silk garment made by Moein Mosavar in 1646



Silk hat from the Safavid dynasty in the 17th century view all