Page 86 - The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent

Nasuh showed the same care in documenting the other cit-
ies, as observed in the double-folio depiction of Sultaniye in
northwestern Iran (39b). The city, founded by the Ilkhanid
ruler Oljeitu (1304-1317) to rival Tabriz, was heavily built
up during the fourteenth century and later abandoned. Only
two of the monuments of this great center remain today—the
Mausoleum of Oljeitu and the tomb complex of Çelebioglu
dated to the 1330s, both of which are in ruins.
Nasuh's painting, therefore, is of great importance, repre-
senting Sultaniye as it appeared in the 1530s. The area
around the former Ilkhanid capital has beautifully drawn
trees and flowers with many birds and wild animals. Several
rivers flow through the city, which has three major buildings
in addition to a number of smaller flat-roofed residences. In
the center of the folio on the right is a magnificent structure,
which is several stones high and has a towering dome en-
closed by eight small minarets. Behind it is a small hexagonal
building with two minarets flanking its more modest dome.
Opposite is another religious edifice with a large entrance
portal flanked by minarets at one side and a three-story
domed unit at the other.
The largest building with its splendid decoration is ob-
viously the famous Mausoleum of Oljeitu, characterized by
the unusual minarets springing from the base of its dome.
The one on the left must be the tomb complex built by Çele-
bioglu. The other domed building cannot be identified.
It appears that even in the sixteenth century Sultaniye was
neglected; most of its legendary buildings were destroyed by
an earthquake and its walls crumbled. The city was occupied
by villagers living in unpretentious huts, with only three
monuments still standing as vestiges of its great past.
Nasuh's third manuscript, entitled the Tarih-i Feth-i Siklos,
Estergon ve Estonibelgrad (History of the conquest of Siklôs,
Esztergom, and Székesfehérvár), also called the Süleymanname,
describes Süleyman's 1543 campaign to Hungary in the first
part and Barbaros Hayreddin Papa's activities in the Mediter-
ranean of the same date in the second part. The work, com-
pleted around 1545, contains representations of ports such as
Toulon, Marseilles, Nice, and Genoa.
The view of Genoa (40) is masterfully composed with a
fleet of ships breezing by in the foreground, their curved sails
creating a lively movement. The city, protected by high walls,
has an inner harbor in which two galleons are anchored. As
in the representation of Lepanto, the city is packed with
buildings with pitched roofs and domes. An inner tower with
heavy fortifications appears in the background; a number of
other structures, including monasteries, castles, lighthouses,
and watchtowers, appear outside the walls. The suburbs are
separated by rivers, which are crossed by bridges. The build-
ings are rendered in pale tones highlighted by occasional red
roofs, contrasting with the colorful hills and meadows and
the silvery waters.
The ships are particularly well drawn, their types recalling

85