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Portraits of the Ottoman Sultans Selīm II (d. 1574), Murād III (d. 1595) and Meḥmed III (d. 1603), from the genealogy (silsilanāma), Cream of Histories (Zübdet-üt Tevarih)

Title	Portraits of the Ottoman Sultans Selīm II (d. 1574), Murād III (d. 1595) and Meḥmed III (d. 1603), from the genealogy (silsilanāma), Cream of Histories (Zübdet-üt Tevarih)
Author	Baghdad
Publication Date:	1598 (1006H)
Type	Document
Language	Turkish
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	Yes
Physical Dimensions	265 mm x 161 mm (height x width)
Library:	Chester Beatty
Record ID	T 423.28
Library Location	Turkish collection
Date	1598 (1006H)
Notes	Portraits of the Ottoman Sultans Selīm II (d. 1574), Murād III (d. 1595) and Meḥmed III (d. 1603), from the genealogy (silsilanāma), Cream of Histories (Zübdet-üt Tevarih). This portrait folio is from a book produced in Baghdad in 1598 (CBL T 423). The text and its family tree diagrams together provide a visual synopsis of universal history, presenting the Ottoman sultanate as its culmination. Here, the author lays out history as a genealogical tree with portrait medallions. This tree follows the sequence of Islam's prophets (starting with Adam, up to the Prophet Muḥammad), as well as kings and rulers, from ancient pre-Islamic Iran, then selectively through Islamic history up to the Ottoman dynasty. Two other known copies are dated to the same year (1006H), and also made in Baghdad: the political issue of righteous Ottoman power was of importance to the city, governed by the Sunni Ottoman empire, with a Shi`i majority population, and located between the Ottoman and (Twelver Shi`i) Safavid empires. Folio, ink, colours and gold on paper, Turkish text in black and red naskh script, diagrammatic family tree with labelled portrait medallions of the Ottoman Sultans Selīm II (d. 1574), Murād III (d. 1595) and Meḥmed III (d. 1603) (recto), blank verso, folio from the Cream of Histories (Zubdat al-tavārīkh, Zübdet-üt Tevarih), dedicated to Ottoman Sultan Meḥmed III (r. 1595-1603), copied by Abū Ṭālib Iṣfahānī (signs and dates the codex, CBL T 423, fol. 14r), Baghdad, Iraq, dated Shawwal 1006H, May 1598.
Materyal	Paper (material), Pigment (material), Ink (material), Gold
Nesne Adı	Folio / Bi-Folio (Codex)
Yazı Tipi	Naskh script

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Chester Beatty

Portraits of the Ottoman Sultans Selīm II (d. 1574), Murād III (d. 1595) and Meḥmed III (d. 1603), from the genealogy (silsilanāma), Cream of Histories (Zübdet-üt Tevarih)

Author Baghdad

Publication Date 1598 (1006H)

Type Document

Language Turkish

Digital Yes

Manuscript Yes

Physical Dimensions 265 mm x 161 mm (height x width)

Library Chester Beatty

Record ID T 423.28

Library Location Turkish collection

Date 1598 (1006H)

Notes Portraits of the Ottoman Sultans Selīm II (d. 1574), Murād III (d. 1595) and Meḥmed III (d. 1603), from the genealogy (silsilanāma), Cream of Histories (Zübdet-üt Tevarih). This portrait folio is from a book produced in Baghdad in 1598 (CBL T 423). The text and its family tree diagrams together provide a visual synopsis of universal history, presenting the Ottoman sultanate as its culmination. Here, the author lays out history as a genealogical tree with portrait medallions. This tree follows the sequence of Islam's prophets (starting with Adam, up to the Prophet Muḥammad), as well as kings and rulers, from ancient pre-Islamic Iran, then selectively through Islamic history up to the Ottoman dynasty. Two other known copies are dated to the same year (1006H), and also made in Baghdad: the political issue of righteous Ottoman power was of importance to the city, governed by the Sunni Ottoman empire, with a Shi`i majority population, and located between the Ottoman and (Twelver Shi`i) Safavid empires. Folio, ink, colours and gold on paper, Turkish text in black and red naskh script, diagrammatic family tree with labelled portrait medallions of the Ottoman Sultans Selīm II (d. 1574), Murād III (d. 1595) and Meḥmed III (d. 1603) (recto), blank verso, folio from the Cream of Histories (Zubdat al-tavārīkh, Zübdet-üt Tevarih), dedicated to Ottoman Sultan Meḥmed III (r. 1595-1603), copied by Abū Ṭālib Iṣfahānī (signs and dates the codex, CBL T 423, fol. 14r), Baghdad, Iraq, dated Shawwal 1006H, May 1598.

Materyal Paper (material), Pigment (material), Ink (material), Gold

Nesne Adı Folio / Bi-Folio (Codex)

Yazı Tipi Naskh script