Author
Ahmed bin Hassan Qalbi is gone.
Author Original
أحمد بن حسن قالبي فاني
Publication Date
Year 911/1505
Publication Place
-
Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts
Subject
Walnut, ebony, ivory, bone and mosaic inlay technique.
Type
Other
Language
Undetermined
Digital
Yes
Manuscript
No
Physical Dimensions
الارتفاع: 82 سم؛ العرض: 56 سم
Library
Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID
3
Record ID
object;ISL;tr;Mus01;21;ar
Library Location
Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts
Date
Year 911/1505
Notes
The body of the cabinet is designed in the form of a hexagonal prism, resting on a base with arched legs. The cabinet has a pyramid-shaped cover (dome) consisting of twelve sides that rises from a cylinder with twelve angles. The walnut panels are decorated with carved ivory, and ebony wood is used in some places. As for the cover, it was inlaid from top to bottom with longitudinal sheets of ivory and ivory medallions with pendants. The plates were engraved with drawings of palm fronds, spiraling plants, and flower shapes inspired by Chinese art. Inscribed ivory sheets were also arranged horizontally on the base of the dome and on top of the cylindrical body, on which were written in thuluth script and in relief Qur’anic verses: verse 255 of Surat Al-Baqarah (No. 2), and verses 22-24 of Surat Al-Hashr (No. 59). On the cover itself and its sides are inscribed more Qur’anic verses: verses 28-29 of Surat Al-Fath (No. 48), verses 18-19 of Surat Al-Imran (No. 3), and verse 30 of Surat An-Naml (No. 27). As for the sides of the body of the cabinet, they are surrounded by rectangular panels of ivory arranged horizontally. Inside the corners of these panels there are relief inscriptions written in thuluth script stating in Turkish that the cabinet was made for Sultan Bayezid II and dated to the year 911 / AD 1505. The last line of the inscription is appended with the signature of the cabinet maker, which is also inscribed in relief: “Ahmed bin Hassan made a mortal mold.” The arches of the base of the cabinet are decorated with mosaic designs of inlaid ivory colored in green. The three sections of the gable at the top of the cover are made of ebony and ivory. The inside of the cabinet has three sections for storing the Qur’an and its thirty parts.
Sample Text
Gönül Tekeli “Treasury for Preserving the Qur’an” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;tr;Mus01;21;ar
