The Karahisari Qur’an
The Karahisari Qur’an
Artist
Ahmed Şemseddin Karahisârî.
Title & Inspiration
'The Karahisari Qur’an'.
This precious volume is a high-quality artistic facsimile of a complete manuscript of the Holy Qur’an, written by Ahmed Şemseddin Karahisârî (d.963H/1556AD). Born in Afyonkarahisar in Turkey, he studied religion in a madrasa in Istanbul during the reign of Sultan Bayezid II. Although he was respected for his ability to write poetry in Arabic, Turkish and Persian, his fame among Muslims rests mainly on his mastery of the calligraphic art. He studied the Six Scripts under Asadullah Kirmani, who was born in Iran but moved to Turkey during the reign of Sultan Mehmet the Conqueror. Karahisari was also a shaykh of the Khalwati Sufi Order and was known for his simple life and his love of the poor.
Karahisari reached the zenith of his fame during the reign of Sultan Sulayman the Magnificent, for the dome of whose mosque he wrote the immense calligraphic inscription. In this period he was regarded as the greatest calligrapher of the Islamic world, and gained the title Shams al-Khatt, the Sun of Calligraphy. He was particularly famous for his work in the muhaqqaq and muthanna styles, and for writing in gold with a black outline. He wrote five complete copies of the Holy Qur’an.
The present volume is a superb example of his service to the Book of Allah. It is written in five different scripts: muhaqqaq, rayhani, thuluth, naskh, and tawqi’. Written at the command of Sultan Sulayman the Magnificent, it was illuminated in gold in the workshops of the Imperial Palace. The original is currently held at the Topkapi Palace Museum Library, catalogue number Hirka-i Saadet, number 5.
This valuable and exquisite masterpiece of Qur’anic art will bring blessings and inspiration to any Muslim fortunate enough to own it.
Starting Bid
£5,000
Artwork Category
Calligraphy and illumination.
Physical Description
The facsimile, prepared with a high-resolution German scanner, is in the actual size of the original, and was prepared by the Foundation for Classical Turkish Arts in Istanbul, 2014, with the support of HE President Erdogan. The volume is accompanied by a beautifully-illustrated descriptive guide in English, Arabic and Turkish, entitled Ahmed Karahisârî and His Manuscript of the Qur’an, written by Professor Muhittin Serin.
Dimensions and Weight
44 (W) x 62 (H) x 9cm (D) & 16kg.
Country of Origin
Turkey.
LOT 167
Ahmed Şemseddin Karahisârî
Ahmed Şemseddîn’dir, became known as Karahisari after his place of birth, Karahisar. His date of birth is uncertain but is around 1468 or 1469. Very little is known about his early life. In the early Bayezid era, he went to Istanbul for his education and remained there for the rest of his life.
After completing his Sufi scholarship, he took the chanting order. His calligraphy master is unclear. Müstakimzâde states that his teacher was Yahyâ Sufî, but Karahisari, in his own writings, always referred to Esadullah-ı Kirmânî as his teacher.
He served in the Imperial Court of Suleyman I, according to the Salary Books, which place him there in 1545, but his period of tenure is uncertain.
Unlike most of the Ottoman calligraphers of his era, he did not follow the style of Sheikh Hamdullah. Instead, he wanted to reinvigorate the style of the Abassid calligrapher, Yaqut al-Musta'simi (1221-98), which had dominated Islamic calligraphy prior to Hamdullah's innovations. Karahisari improved the best examples of Thuluth and Naskh scripts. However, apart from his students, his style was not widely accepted and was largely overshadowed by the developments made by Shaykh Hamdullah (1436–1520) and Hâfiz Osman (1642–1698).
In terms of the technique and innovations made to the calligraphy, he is considered one of the three most important Ottoman calligraphers along with Shaykh Hamdullah and Hâfiz Osman. Among the followers of Karahisari's style, his student, Hasan Çelebi, was renowned as much as himself. Çelebi (also known as Cerkes Hasan Qelebi, d. 1594), was Karahisari's adoptive son. The boy had been a Circassian slave, and was in Karahisari's service when Karahisari freed him, adopted him and taught him calligraphy.
Some of the most impressive of the Mus'hafs prepared in the Ottoman Palace Studios have been attributed to Ahmed Karahisari. His most important work is the Mus'haf which he penned for Suleiman the Magnificent (reigned 1520-1566), which is preserved today at the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul. Other examples of his work are held in the Topkapi Museum and the Museum of Istanbul.
He died in Istanbul when he was well into his 90s, and was buried in the grave of Cemaleddin İshak Karamânî in Sütlüce. His epitaph was written by his adoptive son, Hasan Çelebi.