Page 97 - The Age of Sultan Suleyman the Magnificent

spread over the sarcophagus or stored in cupboards. Legend
has it that Suleyman wanted to be buried with this casket,
which was contrary to religious practice. As the ulema were
discussing how to comply with the wishes of the sultan, the
casket fell down and its contents spilled out. It contained the
§eyhulislam's fetvas, which answered legal questions in ac-
cordance with the §eriat. This anecdote illustrates the impor-
tance Suleyman gave to conforming his sultanic laws with
the established canons of Islamic jurisprudence.
The funeral procession moves along the walls of the Süley-
maniye Mosque, heading toward the sanctuary where the
ceremony was held. In the background is the courtyard be-
hind the mosque where figures dig a grave under a large tent
erected next to the Mausoleum of Hürrem Sultan, who had
died in 1558. On the far right is the residence of the caretaker
of the tombs. This painting not only contains the earliest rep-
resentation of these buildings, but indicates that the Mauso-
leum of Suleyman was not constructed before his death. The
structure, built by Sinan, the imperial architect responsible for
the Süleymaniye Complex and many other imperial buildings
in the capital, appears to have been already designed and its
site determined, but erected after 1566. Süleyman's body was
placed in the grave and the mausoleum built over it soon
after. The monumental Süleymaniye Mosque is also repre-
sented in the manuscript, its structural components and hov-
ering central dome shown in detail.
The Tarih-i Sultan Suleyman, which reveals the collabora-
tion of Lokman and Osman, initiated a series of spectacular
43d. Burial of Sultan Sülcyman from the Tarih-i Sultan Suleyman of manuscripts written by the §ahnameci and illustrated by the
Lokman transcribed in 1579/1580 (Dublin, The Chester Bcatty painter. Osman, at times assisted by his brother-in-law Ali
Library, MS. 413, fol. 115b)
and members of his studio, produced hundreds of scenes that
constitute the corpus of classical Ottoman painting, his style
continuing to leave a pronounced mark on the artists of the
nakkachane until the middle of the seventeenth century.
II, leading the prayer for his deceased father outside Belgrade Listed in the payroll registers dated between 1566 and 1596,
after he formally took over the sultanate and rode there to mentioned in several manuscripts, and praised in a number
meet his father's cortege in October. The participants, attired of others, the artist was also portrayed in two versions of the
in dark garments, gather in groups and hold up their hands §ahname-i Selim Han. The first painting in the copy dated
in prayer. Even the horses are depicted in arrested move- 1581 represents §emseddin Ahmed Karabagi, a renowned
ment, their heads bowed in silence. Selim, clearly despondent scholar in the court, discussing the work with Lokman, Os-
over the death of his father, stands with a religious dignitary man, Ali, and the calligraphier, îlyas Katib. 80 There also exists
next to the carnage with the body, which is protected by a an undated version, thought to have been completed around
large canopy. The opposite folio shows the imperial tents set 1575, which includes a similar scene. 81
up outside the city of Belgrade. This work, devoted to the reign of Selim II, appears to be
The next scene takes place in Istanbul, where Süleyman's Lokman's earliest endeavor, composed before the Tarih-i Sul-
body was finally laid to rest the following month (43d). Sü- tan Suleyman. The cahnameci also wrote the two-volume bi-
leyman's coffin bearing his large turban is carried in the fore- ography of Murad III, entitled the §ahm§ahname (Book of the
ground, led by the §eyhulislam Ebussuud Efendi, who per- king of kings); 82 another two-volume work called the Hüner-
formed the last religious rites. It is preceded by a man name (Book of achievements), which covers the history of the
holding on his head a golden casket that contained the per- Ottoman dynasty in the first part and the life of Suleyman in
sonal possessions of the sultan. According to Ottoman tradi- the second; 83 a genealogy of the Ottoman sultans illustrated
tion, personal garments, accessories, and other items belong- with their portraits, the Kiyafet el-insaniye fi §email-i Osmaniye
ing to the deceased were kept in their mausoleums, either (General appearances and dispositions of the Ottomans); 84

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