Page 92 - The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent

4le. Sultan Süleyman with Barbaros Hayreddin Pas,a from the Süleymanname 4Id. Sultan Süleyman arriving at Kasr-i §irin from the Süleymanname of
of Arifi transcribed in 1558 (Istanbul, Topkapi Sarayí Müzesi, H. 1517, fol. Arifi transcribed in 1558 (Istanbul, Topkapi Sarayí Müzesi, H. 1517, fol.
360a) 367a)

rev (Khosrau) for his beloved §irin (Shirin). The group rides later married to one of the sultan's granddaughters. The
through a lush meadow and approaches a fabulous palace, its work, devoted to the last campaign of Süleyman directed
facade and dome covered with tiles, bricks, and stone. The against the Hungarian fortress of Szigetvár in 1566, describes
composition recalls the scenes depicting Hüsrev approaching in detail the events leading up to the death of Süleyman and
§irin's castle, frequently employed in fifteenth- and early-six- concludes with the accession ceremonies of Selim II.
teenth-century copies of Nizami's work produced in the The paintings are very much in the spirit of the chronicle,
Timurid, Safavid, and Ottoman courts. visually documenting the last campaign of the sultan. One of
The anonymous master of the Süleymanname must have the scenes represents Süleyman receiving Stephen Zápolya,
trained Osman, a highly prolific artist who started working his vassal in Transylvania (42a). Stephen's father, John, had
in the nakka§hanc in the 1560s and produced hundreds of been crowned king of Hungary by Süleyman. Hungary was
paintings during the next three decades. His distinct style annexed after John's death in 1541 and Stephen, then an in-
appears in the Nüzhet el-Esrar el-Ahbar der Sefer-i Sigetvar fant, was made the ruler of Transylvania, a tributary state of
(Chronicle of the Szigetvár campaign) written in 1568/1569 the Ottomans.
by Ahmed Feridun Pa§a, a celebrated vezir, commander, and When Süleyman stopped in Belgrade en route to Szigetvár,
governor who took part in the Szigetvár campaign and was Stephen, now a mature man, came to pay his respects to the

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