Treasures of the ancient empire

The exhibition «Treasures of the Ottoman Sultans» continuing the long-term program «Royal and Imperial Treasures in the Kremlin» will take place until August 15 at the exhibition halls of the Assumption Belfry and One-Pillar Chamber of the Patriarch’s Palace of the Moscow Kremlin. The exposition represents a world-wide collection of the Topkapi Palace Museum (Istanbul) formed on the basis of the richest treasure of the Ottoman sultans. Moscow residents and visitors of the capital for the first time have an opportunity to familiarize themselves with unique heritage of the largest empire in the history of humankind being the centre of Islamic world and its culture for four centuries.

The exhibition includes above one hundred exhibits. They are symbols of power, ancient ceremonial and military weapons, including that captured by the Ottomen in Cairo after destruction of the Mameluke Empire at the beginning of the 16th century. Visitors will see manuscripts, miniatures, Arabian calligraphy by Turkish and Iranian masters made in Istanbul and Tabriz, precious vestments of sultans, their wives and children as well as many other works illustrating the history and traditions of the empire and telling about life of the sultan’s palace of the 15 th −17 th centuries, an epoch of the highest prosperity and power of the Ottoman Empire.

The most significant symbol of power of the Ottoman sultans was matara — a precious vessel for water carried alongside with the sultan by one of his people in attendance during celebrations. That act emphasized the succession of the ancestors’ culture — it is a well-known fact that leather mataras for potable water come from nomadic practice of ancient Turkic peoples. Separate role in the sultan’s vestments was given to weapons and belts. It has to be noted that such tradition is noted also in the Russian history by researchers: a belt considered to be one of the most important grand-ducal insignias.

The most significant articles of the Topkapi Palace collection include items of weapons produced as a gift for padishahs or made at their personal request. It is sabres belonging to the Ottoman sultans — Mehmet Fatih (the Conqueror), Bayezid II, Selim I Yavuz (the Stern), Suleiman I Kanuni (The Lawgiver) and others. These are rarities kept in the sultanic treasuries for many centuries and marked by special elegance of craftsmanship and gorgeousness of decoration. Alems, original ensigns symbolising a Padishah in the course of military campaigns and battles, are displayed at the exhibition together with weapons. As a rule, they were worn or settled behind the back of the ruler. If in the times of Suleiman Kanuni (The Magnificent) there were four sultanic ensigns, padishahs acceded to the throne starting from 1529 exceeded their number up to seven.

The most famous and highly attended exposition of the Topkapi Palace is, undoubtedly, the treasury. Visitors will see egrets produced from rock crystal with large emeralds considered to be a means for invigoration and protection against evil spirits even by the ancient Turkic peoples, vessels incrusted by precious stones, jugs from zinc with thin golden pattern highly valued at the sultanic court, luxurious book covers of Koran, crystal pendants for the throne demonstrating the power and potency of the ruler. The ceremonial helmet of the 16th century decorated with gold engraving and precious stones is rightfully considered to be one of the key exhibits of the Topkapi treasury, sultans wore such helmets when entering into conquered cities.

China porcelain has special place in the collection of the Ottoman Palace. The collection includes over twelve thousand exhibits where celadon articles and items with Arabic ligature inscriptions specially produced in China for Ottoman are presented together with rare porcelain samples of Min and Yuan epochs (the 14 th — 16th centuries). Starting from the 18th century porcelains were decorated by jewellery articles in Turkey in a classical Turkish manner.

Court workshops famous all over the world were located in the territory of the Topkapi Palace. The best masters from different countries and localities being a part of the Ottoman Empire worked there: Turk, Greek, Georgian, Persian, Hungarian, Italian and even Russian peoples. They produced books, book covers, weapons, fabric and jewellery. Every monarch learnt certain craft and some profession. So, Abdul Hamit II was a well-known carpenter and creator of the most ingenious furniture in the palace, Suleiman I was engaged in jewellery and Ahmed III was a calligrapher.

The manuscript collection is the second one after the porcelain collection. Manuscript works not only in Turkish, but also in Arabian, Persian and Chagatai languages, enormous collection of rare miniatures as well as samples of filigree, practically transparent patterns on paper are kept in the Topkapi Palace Museum. Masterpieces of that part of the collection are displayed at the exhibition in Moscow among which are albums of famous calligrapher Sheik Hamdullah revolutionizing the art of calligraphy in the 15th century, miniature portraits of sultans, pictures having their roots in Islamic fine arts of the 14 th −15 th centuries. The unique portrait of a Russian ambassador painted by the order of Shah Abbas in the 80s of the 16th century is among the exhibits of the exhibition. It is the earliest picture of a Russian diplomat from known ones. According to Russian experts, that miniature portrays G.B. Vasilchikov sent with a diplomatic mission to Persia by King Ivan the Terrible.

Vestures of padishahs, articles of woman and children clothing presented at the exhibition are truly magnificent samples of the Ottoman weaving art. These memorials deservingly represent the richest and unique collection of Turkish rulers in the world clothing striking by its luxury and gorgeousness of ornaments, the majority of which has deep symbolic meaning. The variety of used materials is combined with the conventionality of style — different variants of ceremonial clothing are presented at the exhibition — with long and short sleeves. Safety of that unique sultanic wardrobe of the 16 th −17 th centuries is also striking — that collection can be compared only with the fabric collection of the Moscow Kremlin Museums.

A part of the sultan’s palace being the place of private life of the Ottoman dynasty, Harem, had been formed for four centuries. It consisted of three hundred rooms, a part thereof was occupied by the centre of education where literacy, literature, music, sewing, art of needlework and cookery were taught. A portrait of Hurrem-Sultan, wife of Suleiman I Kanuni, famous Roxelana is displayed at the exhibition. Western researchers point to her Russian origins, but most probably she is from Ukraine or Galicia. Due to her gorgeous appearance and virile mind that unusual woman not only won love of the sultan becoming his legal wife, but played an important role in political affairs of the country. It is also believed that Turhan-Sultan, wife of sultan Ibrahim Haji has Russian roots as Roxelana. Her pearl seal can be seen at the exhibition in Moscow.

The Topkapi Palace had been serving not only as a residence of the Ottoman Sultans for many centuries, but had been the political and cultural centre of Turkey which undoubtedly brings it closer to the Moscow Kremlin. Collections of two famous museums keep unique memorials of universal importance among which diplomatic gifts bearing evidence of long-term mutual communication between both countries.

Moscow exhibition is a part of the exchange project, a response to the exhibition from collection of the Moscow Kremlin Museums taking place at the Topkapi Chamber Museum. It is not only a remarkable cultural event, but also notable continuation of dialogue between our countries brightly shown up within the year when Istanbul has been declared the cultural capital of Europe.

* Materials are used from the web-site of «Moscow Kremlin Museums»