when love for the prophet becomes art - 2011

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When love for the Prophet becomes art

UKSD Istanbul September 2011

When love for the Prophet becomes art9. Examples of Turkish art of Hilye-Şerif and Rosary13. When Love for the Prophet Becomes Art17. The Noble Hilye or Felicitous Hilye32. Hilyes from the Libraries & Museums Directorate of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality40. Hilyes from the Collection of Mehmet Cebi105. Beads of Remembrance: Notes on Prayer Beads...112. Rosaries from the Collection of Mehmet Cebi169. Biographies of the Calligraphers

9. Examples of Turkish art of Hilye-Şerif and RosaryTuğrul Tuna

As the Association of International Art and Culture, based in Istanbul, we place great importance onspreading different culture and arts in our country, as well as promoting Turkish arts and culture in other countries and geographies through original examples. We believe that development of a multi-lateral culturalexchange is uniting for humanity rather than dividing.

In collaboration with the Turkish Embassy in Vatican, The Association of International Art and Culture hasorganized the exhibition "Classic and contemporary examples of Turkish art Hilye-i Şerif and Tesbih" to be

held between 1 and 19 October 2011 in Rome. The aim of this exhibition is to arouse a serious andexpansive interest towards Turkish art and culture throughout the cultural centers in Europe.

Examples of original classical and contemporary calligraphy can be seen in this exhibition: 30 Hilyes, aspecial art of Islamic calligraphy describing some physical and spiritual attributes of Prophet Muhammad,five of which date back to Ottoman period, are exhibited along with some examples of tesbih, Islamic prayer beads.

The art of Hilye, born in Istanbul in the seventeenth century, is currently going through a renaissance withoriginal interpretations by contemporary calligraphers. The Hilye is a popular form of classic calligraphic artwhich describes some physical and spiritual attributes of Prophet Mohammad. It is interesting to see howthe original works today reflect the modern concept of traditional abstract Turkish art. We also think thatexhibiting this collection of charming contemporary examples of classical Hilye, which in a sense can becompared to icons in European art, in Rome, a cultural center which has an important role in Westernpainting tradition, is meaningful.

In this exhibition, along with the examples of Hilyes from the collections of Mr. Mehmet Çebi and IstanbulMetropolitan Municipality, there are classical and contemporary examples of Islamic prayer beads art,considered cultural objects, as well as an original Turkish art form. The art of rosary, coming straight fromthe religious practices, has developed greatly over time. We think that the prayer beads collection of MehmetÇebi will arouse interest and awake special attention in Vatican as well.

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We wish to thank those who have allowed for this exhibition to take place in Palazzo della Cancelleria, oneof the most prestigious and historical places in Rome: Firstly, Turkish Ambassador to Vatican Prof. Dr.Kenan Gürsoy, with whom we have collaborated from the day we have jointly defined the concept of theexhibition, for offering his endless help and patronage; Mr. Mehmet Çebi, unforgettable patron and collector

of contemporary Hilye and tesbih; Mr. Ramazan Minder, Director of Libraries and Museums of IstanbulMetropolitan Municipality, for having made available the classic examples of Hilye through his help andconcern; and Turkish Airlines, Turkish Ministry of Culture and Avea for their contributions at various levels.

13. When Love for the Prophet Becomes Art

Mehmet Lüfti Sen

Exhibition of Hilye-i Şerif (a special art of Islamic calligraphy describing some physical and spiritual attributesof Prophet Muhammad) and Tesbih (Islamic prayer beads).

Turkish calligraphy has had a pioneering role in its genre throughout history. The pieces of calligraphy doneby Turkish people with love and devotion towards God, confirm the saying "The Quran has been revealed inthe Hijaz, read in Egypt and written in Istanbul" all around the world . After the Quran, the Hilye-i Şerif is thebest example of this devotional art form. Hilyes are concrete representations of love towards the Prophet, inthe same way that in European paintings icons are sacred images.

According to historical sources, the first Hilye was created by master calligrapher Hafiz Osman in theseventeenth century, which then spread throughout the Islamic world and continues to do so to this day.Today there is a great interest and much variety in Hilye-i Şerif arts and Islamic prayer beads. Mehmet Çebi,whose collection of recent works we can admire in this exhibition, has encouraged this renewed interest.

With his commitment to this art, he supports contemporary artists and encourages them to create neworiginal pieces.

It is the first time that an exhibition of Hilye-i Şerif takes place in Europe, beginning its journey in Rome.

This exhibition presents art lovers with a selection of masterpieces: classical and contemporary Hilye-i Şerif and Islamic prayer beads. In this way, the lines of this art — which spring from the love for the Prophet -create an indestructible bridge between cultures. The catalog in your hands is made up of works, createdwith the goal of reaching a higher degree of beauty each time.With the hope that wherever it's present, it will convey this beauty.

17. The Noble Hilye or Felicitous Hilye

Irvin Cemil Schick

Among the most popular works in the Ottoman calligraphic tradition is the genre known as Hilye-i Şerife

(Noble Hilye) or Hilye-i Saadet (Felicitous Hilye). Thought to have been designed by Hafiz Osman Efendi1

1 For more information about the Hilye, see M. Uğur Derman, Letters in Gold: Ottoman Calligraphy from the Sakip

Sabanci Collection, İstanbul , trans. Mohamed Zakariya, New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art. 1998, pp. 34-37; M.Uğur Derman, Türk Hat Sanatının Şaheserleri [Masterpieces of Turkish Calligraphy], [Ankara]: Kültür Bakanlığı Yayınları,1982, plates 18, 19, 42, 47 and 49; Faruk Taşkale and Hüseyin Gündüz, Hat Sanatında Hilye-i Şerife: Hz. Muhammed'in

Özellikleri / Hilye-i Şerife in Calligraphic Art: Characteristics of the Prophet Muhammed , İstanbul: Antik A. Ş. Kültür Yayınları, 2006. On Hâfiz Osman Efendi, see Derman, Letters in Gold , pp. 72-74; M. Uğur Derman, The Art of

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(karalama, siyah mashq) in the case of Said Abuzeroğlu have not left behind the form of the Hilye to such anextent as to have moved into a different genre. After all, debates continued for a long time on the question of whether or not free verse was really poetry; and as it was in the case of poetry, this is in fact a usefuldebate.

How far may one venture from past examples in the traditional arts, and when has one gone too far? Thisissue has elicited a fair amount of debate over the years, and no satisfactory answer has been given to date.

And in a way there is no answer, because this determination can only be made by time. With his bolddesigns and by giving maximum freedom to calligraphers, Mehmet Çebi has placed a richly laid table beforethe future. Time will show which of these dishes will gain favor.

32. Hilyes from the Libraries & Museums Directorate of Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality

40. Hilyes from the Collection of Mehmet Cebi

105. Beads of Remembrance: Notes on Prayer Beads...

The phrase Subhanallah is said in praise of the Creator's absolute greatness, and means "God is exemptfrom any deficiencies or imperfections." It is the origin of the word for prayer beads, tesbih or misbaha. Suchbeads are known as Gebetskette in German and chapelet in French.

The phrases Subhanallah, Alhamdulillah, and Allahu Akbar occur frequently in the Qur'an, and mostMuslims repeat them, thirty-three times each, after the five daily prayers. Beads on a string are often used to

count these phrases as they are repeated, and so we call such strings of beads tesbih or misbaha. TheProphet Muhammad (P. b. u. H) encouraged its use, saying "what a good way to remember." If these beadssymbolize the ninety-nine Beautiful Names (al-Asma al-Husna) of the Creator, if they take believers to Hislofty presence, then, as the Prophet of Islam said,

Intentional or not, large or small, secret or open, all sins, what came before them as well as what cameafter, shall be forgiven through those pure prayers fluttering upon the lips.

There are sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad about the tesbih or misbaha. It is related that heused date pits and small pebbles for keeping count, and that he admonished the women of Madina as

follows:

Make tasbih, tahlil , and taqdis your practice, and count them with your fingers, for fingers will be called torender accounts.

Abu Hurayra, one of the Prophet's companions, related that he said:

After tasbih, dhikr , and prayer, all your sins will be forgiven, even if they are as numerous as foam in the sea.

Prayer beads are "counting tools" born of Man's desire to be close to the Creator. Made of every preciousmaterial, they consist of 33, 50, 99, 100, 108, 500, or even 1000 beads, depending on the religion. While

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worshipping, the act of moving the fingers along the beads sometimes turns into a kind of meditation,capturing the body and the mind. Thus, in a state of faithful contemplation, the dhikr of the tongue, the heart,and the soul begins.

The Prophet Muhammad is related to have prescribed the repeated utterance of the phrases Subhanallah,

Alhamdulillah, and Allahu Akbar , thirty-three times each. Initially it was the fingers' duty to keep count.

Somewhat later, still during the same period, date and olive pits, pebbles, and knotted ropes were used for this purpose. Eventually, after the third or fourth century of Islam, earth was collected from holy places suchas Karbala, Jerusalem, and the Kaaba, moulded into round drops and pierced to make the first prayer beads; these were known as turbat . In addition, prayer beads were fashioned out of the ceramic or glassbeads of antique necklaces of Hittite, Urartian, Phoenician, Roman, or Byzantine origin.

The aesthetic development of prayer beads is thought to have begun in the fourteenth or fifteenth centuries.The habbs (beads) were likened to the congregation praying behind the prayer leader (imam); therefore,

they were strung around the imâme, the piece that marks the beginning of the string of beads. And thus anartistic competition in the field of prayer beads was launched. Hard woods were carved and turned intovarious shapes. The use of such materials as bone, horn, teeth, amber, pearl, and mother-of pearl began inthe sixteenth century. Turning every beautiful thing in Islam into an artform, Ottoman İstanbul became acenter for this art as well.

Next to the greatness achieved by calligraphy, illumination and miniature the lathes in the rosaries shops of Istanbul started making masterpieces of "prayer beads" that were sent from Istanbul to sultan's palaces,private collections or simply to lovers of rosaries throughout the Islamic world.

It is said that the development of the art of making rosaries in Turkey goes back to the sixteenth century, butwe have no evidence prior to the seventeenth century. However, it is clear that in two centuries, themanufacture of rosaries turned from handicraft into a veritable form of art .

Any material hard enough to endure the lathe can be used in the making of prayer beads. A wide variety of raw materials were once brought from all around the world, having different textures that give differentpleasurable sensations. Accordingly, they were sold for high prices. Let us note that animals are no longer killed for this purpose; the materials used are obtained from dead animals, and thus they are, in a way,immortalized.

Materials used to make prayer beads include amber, emerald, ruby, rock crystal, turquoise, şahmaksut (Afghan stone), agate, lapis lazuli, jade, ivory, mammoth tusk, walrus tusk, whalebone, tortoiseshell;rhinoceros, buffalo, bull, and deer horn; camel bone, ambergris, tiger claw, pearl, coral, mother-of-pearl, oltutaşi (jet), ebony, snakewood, sandalwood, agarwood, bloodwood, Brazilian rosewood, bead tree, ironwood,rosewood, and tamarind.

The race has now begun. The imâmes are harmoniously aligned, vested with rings and coins; thousands of gold or silver pins have been nailed into a single string of beads; they are studded with rubies, jades, anddiamonds; all kinds of inscriptions have been written onto the beads. In short, we are now living in the era of "illumination" of prayer beads.

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112. Rosaries from the Collection of Mehmet Cebi

169. Biographies of the Calligraphers

Master calligrapher Mehmed Rashid Efendi

Mehmed Rashid Efendi was born in Bursa in 1849. He carried out his studies at a Quranic school. He beganhis studies with the master calligrapher Saadeddin Efendi of Bursa. Starting in 1869, he would go every year to Istanbul where he was able to study with Sefik Bey. In 1892 he was hired as a calligrapher by the ErkânıDâiresi Harbiye. He died on April 13th, 1925. Mehmed Efendi Rashid is known for his works written inthuluth, naskh and riq'a scripts.

Master calligrapher Mehmet Nazif

Master calligrapher Mehmet Nazif was born in 1846 in Rusçuk. After moving to Istanbul he began to studycalligraphy first with Burdurlu Hafiz Vahdeti Efendi, and later with master calligrapher Sami Efendi.Employed by the cartography office of the military, he also gave calligraphy lessons. Mehmet Nazif, whodied in 1913, taught many important master calligraphers.

Master calligrapher Kazasker Mustafa Izzet

Master calligrapher and composer Mustafa Izzet Efendi was born in 1801 in Tosya. After his father's death,he moved to Istanbul where he attended the Fatih Quranic school and began studying calligraphy withKomurcuzade Hafiz Efendi. As Sultan Mahmut II liked his voice, he sent him to Enderun to complete hisstudies. There he studied for six years music, calligraphy, language and literature. Mustafa Izzet receivedhis calligraphy diploma from Yesarizade. Till 1852 he held several important positions in the Sultan's Palace.He is known for being the creator of the impressive medallions of Hagia Sophia, as well as for having writtenmore than two hundred Hilyes. The master calligrapher, author of works in naskh, thuluth, jali jali and thulutta'liq scripts, died in 1876 at the age of 75 years.

Abdullah Güllüce

Born in 1980 in Erzurum, Abdullah Güllüce graduated from Erzurum İmam Hatip High School in 1999. Hemade the acquaintance of the calligrapher Mümtaz Durdu in Erzurum in 1995. After studying naskh scriptwith him for one and a half years, he continued his training via correspondence due to his master'srelocation to İstanbul.Güllüce moved to İstanbul following his high school graduation and pursued his studies in naskh and thulthscripts with the calligrapher Hasan Çelebi. He obtained his license in May 2003. Presently, Güllüce practicescalligraphy in İstanbul.

Ahmad Al Umari

Born in 1985 in Iraq, Ahmed Al Umari started studying calligraphy in 1996 in Samarra with Abdul Aziz. Later he moved to Baghdad and began training in naskh script with the calligrapher Nabil Al Sharifi. He continuedhis studies in naskh and thulth scripts with the calligrapher Abbas Al Baghdadi and obtained his license.

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Javad Khuran

Born in 1977 in Iran, Javad Khuran studied in thulth script with the calligrapher Hakim Ghannam in Iranbetween 1998-2002. Later he came to İstanbul to continue his training with the calligrapher Mehmed Özçay.

He completed his basic training in thulth script in one year and advanced his studies in jali thulth script withÖzçay. He obtained his license from Özçay in thulth script in a ceremony held in November 2005 at IRCICA.

Khuran currently practices calligraphy in İstanbul.

Awards1. 2004 Istanbul 6th International Calligraphy Competition, first prize in thulth style.2. 2004 Istanbul 6th International Calligraphy Competition, first prize in jali thulth style.3. 2005 Antik A.Ç. Hilye Competition, first prize in jali-thulth, thulth-naskh style.4. 2005 Albaraka Turk International Calligraphy Competition, special prize.

5. 2005 Albaraka Turk International Calligraphy Competition, second prize in thulth style.

Amir Ahmad Falsafi

Born in 1959 in Tehran, Amir Ahmad Falsafi began studying calligraphy in 1965. He continued by takinglessons from master Sayed Hassan Mirkhani in 1976. He advanced his art working with master GhulamHossain Amirkhani in 1981. He has been teaching at the Iranian Society of Calligraphers for thirty years.Falsafi participated in over 250 group exhibitions in USA, UK, France, Germany, Italy, India, Turkey, United

Arab Emirates, and China.

Falsafi has also held seven solo exhibitions. His published works include Divan-i Khvajah Shams al-DinMuhammad Hafiz Shirazi and Muraqqa-i Gulistan.

Eyüb Kuşçu

Born in 1971 in Karkuk, Iraq, Eyüb Kuşçu started studying calligraphy with Avni Al Naqqash in Karkuk in1994 and currently continues with the calligrapher Davut Bektas in Istanbul. He won second prize in

Albaraka Türk International Calligraphy Competition in thulth style.

Fevzi Günüç Born in 1956 in Konya, Fevzi Günüç began working on thulth-naskh scripts with Hüseyin Kutlu in 1982 andobtained his license in 1993. He became an assistant professor in Selçuk University's Department of Turkish Islamic Arts in 1993, associate professor in the Department of Traditional Turkish Handicrafts, Chair of Arabic Script, and professor in the same department in 2007.

Günüç served as deputy dean at Selçuk University Faculty of Fine Arts between 2003-2005. He has beenthe head of the Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Traditional Turkish Arts since 2005, and the dean of theFaculty of Fine Arts since 2007.

Günüç has participated in solo and group exhibitions both inside and outside Turkey and has published

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books and articles in his field.

Ferhat Kurlu

Born in 1976 in Fatsa, Ferhat Kurlu made the acquaintance of Muzaffer Ecevit when he was a sophomore at

the Ondokuz Mayıs University, Faculty of Religious Studies. He familiarized himself with arts and took hisfirst lessons of riq'a script from Muzaffer Ecevit. In July 1996 he met master Hasan Çelebi and beganstudying in thulth-naskh style. Following four years of training, he obtained his license in a ceremony held inOctober 2000 at IRCICA. In 2001, Kurlu was appointed as an imam by the Directorate of Religious Affairs.

Gürkan Pehlivan

Born in 1970 in Aksehir, Konya, Gürkan Pehlivan completed his primary and secondary education inIstanbul. He worked as a designer and stylist in the leather apparel industry and for twenty years hedesigned his own models.

In 1999, Pehlivan met the calligrapher and marbling artist Fuat Başar and began studying calligraphy.

His teacher considered him talented enough that, after a short period of four months, he began to teach ashis teacher's assistant. He received his license from in 2003, and took part in many exhibitions across thecountry.

Gürkan Pehlivan signs his works "Mahfi." He has taught calligraphy in several institutions, and has writtenthe internal inscriptions at the Mosque of Kambur Mustafa Paşa, the foundational inscription of the BostanaliMosque in Kadırga, and other architectural inscriptions in various mosques, fountains, and mausolea. His

works are in private collections both within the country and abroad.

Habib Ramazanpur

Born in 1976 in the Gilan Province of Iran, Habib Ramazanpur started studying calligraphy with Abbas Ahaveyn. He obtained his master's license from the Iranian Society of Calligraphers in 2009. Ramazanpur has won prizes in numerous international competitions. He currently practices calligraphy in Tehran.

Hasan Çelebi

Born in 1937 in Erzurum, Hasan Çelebi served as imam in various mosques. He studied calligraphy withHalim Özyazici, Hamit Aytaç and Kemal Batanay as from 1964. He obtained his license in thulth and naskhfrom Hamit Aytaç in 1975, and in ta’liq and riq'a from Kemal Batanay in 1981.

Çelebi was entrusted with the task of writing the architectural inscriptions at the Mosque of AtatürkUniversity, Faculty of Religious Studies in Erzurum in 1977 and the Organization of the Islamic Conferencein Jeddah in 1981 as well as the restoration of the inscriptions at al-Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina in 1983. Heheld his first solo exhibition in 1982 at IRCICA, Istanbul. Later on came the exhibitions in Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia) in 1984, and in Amman in 1985, where he was invited by Prince Hassan bin Talal of Jordan. In1987, he resided in Medina for a year to write the inscriptions in al-Masjid al-Quba. In 1992, he was invited to

Kuala Lumpur by the Islamic Cultural Center of Malaysia. He organized the "30 Years in Calligraphy"

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exhibition at IRCICA in 1994. Çelebi also participated in numerous group exhibitions of classical Turkishhandicrafts both inside and outside Turkey.

Hasan Çelebi has been teaching calligraphy since 1976 and has given licenses to a total of 52 students,domestic and foreign.

Ehsan Ahmadi

Born in 1980 in Mashhad, Iran, Ehsan Ahmadi graduated from the Polytechnic University Department of Aeronautics and Astronautics. He studied in nasta'liq script with master Abbas Ahaveyn. He has won prizesin international competitions both inside and outside Iran. Presently, Ahmadi practices his art in Iran.

Karim Arbili

Born in 1963 in Arbil, Iraq, Karim Arbili graduated from the University of Baghdad, Faculty of Fine Arts,

Department of Ceramics. He began studying calligraphy in 1991. Arbili obtained his license in ta'liq scriptfrom Prof. Dr. Ali Alparslan, and thulth and naskh scripts from Hasan Çelebi. He was awarded honorablemention in naskh and riqa' styles at the 1993 International Calligraphy Competition organized by IRCICA,another honorable mention in naskh style in 1996, and won third prize in thulth style. Arbili also won anaward at the Baghdad Calligraphy and Illumination Festival in 1995.

Levent Karaduman

Born in 1978 in Bartın, Levent Karaduman moved to Istanbul after completing his primary education. Hestudied Islamic and Arabic sciences alongside his secondary education. He began examining the works of

old masters in 1992 and started studying the thulth and naskh scripts with the calligrapher and marblingartist Fuat Başar in 1995.

Karaduman obtained his license in 2003 and displayed his original artwork in exhibitions both inside andoutside Turkey. He gave calligraphy lessons at various institutions and organizations, and is studyingcalligraphy from the aesthetic viewpoint as a science of the line.

His works appear in many private collections. He has written numerous hilyes in many different forms, aswell as compositions, single pieces, and panels. He works in Istanbul, producing modern works of art in theclassical calligraphic tradition.

Muhammad Jalul

Born in 1957 in Aleppo, Syria, Muhammad Jalul began studying calligraphy with Muhammad Subari in1975-1978. He won first and second prizes in various competitions. He currently practices calligraphy inSyria.

Muhammad Javadzadeh

Born in 1971 in Tehran, Iran, Muhammad Javadzadeh started studying calligraphy with Abbas Ahaveyn. Heobtained his instructor's license from the Iranian Society of Calligraphers. He has been teaching there since

1996. Javadzadeh has won first prizes in every competition he has participated in. Currently, he continues

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working on his calligraphy in Tehran.

Nurullah Özdem

Born in 1984 in Erzurum, Nurullah Özdem began his calligraphic studies with his grandfather the

calligrapher Şevket Özdem (1926-2003) and later on resumed with Bilal Sezer. He then began to study withDavud Bektaş in 2004. Özdem graduated from the Atatürk University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Painting in 2005. He obtained his license in thulth and naskh styles from Davud Bektaş in September 2007.He won awards at various competitions and participated in group exhibitions both inside and outside Turkey.

Özdem's works appear in many private collections and he continues to work in Istanbul.

Said Abuzeroğlu

Born in 1980 in the city of Ufa in the Republic of Bashkortostan, Russia, Said Abuzeroğlu completed his

primary and secondary education in Ufa. He was accepted to Marmara University, Department of TurkishEducation in 2001 and moved to Istanbul. The same year, he started studying the thulth, naskh and riq'ascripts with Mumtaz Durdu. He continued with Hasan Çelebi starting in 2003, and obtained his license in thethulth and naskh scripts in 2004. Abuzeroğlu currently practices calligraphy in Istanbul.

Savaş Çevik

Born in 1953 in Antalya, Savaş Çevik received his master's degree from the Istanbul State Academy of Fine Arts, Department of Graphic Arts in 1976. The same year, he became a lecturer in the same department asthe assistant of professor Emin Barm. He began studying calligraphy in 1973 with Kemal Batanay in riq'a

and ta'liq scripts, and Hamit Aytac in thulth and naskh scripts. He also worked on the diwani and jali diwani styles with Prof. Ali Alparslan. He continues to produce classical calligraphic works as well as modern andoriginal works in his own style.

Tahsin Kurt

Tahsin Kurt began studying in ta'liq script with Prof. Dr. Ali Alparslan in 1987 and thulth script with thecalligrapher Hüseyin Kutlu in 1994. He obtained his license in the thulth script in 2001. He receivedhonorable mention in the ta'liq and jali ta'liq scripts at the 1997 International Calligraphy Competitionorganized by IRCICA, was presented with achievement awards at the 1999 and 2001 State Calligraphy

Competitions organized by the Ministry of Culture, and won first prize in jali ta'liq script in the First AlbarakaTurk Calligraphy Competition.

Turan Sevgili

Born in 1945 in Oltu, Erzurum, Turan Sevgili completed his primary and secondary education in Çorum. Hegraduated first from the Istanbul University, Faculty of Religious Studies in 1967 and later from the Mimar Sinan University, Faculty of Fine Arts, Department of Textiles.

Sevgili started studying calligraphy with the late calligrapher Hamid Aytaç in 1963 and obtained his licenses

for Kufi , thulth, naskh, ta'liq, diwani and jali diwani scripts.

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For some years, starting with the 1981-1982 academic year, he was a lecturer in calligraphy at the BursaFaculty of Religious Studies.

Turan Sevgili's works can be seen in numerous mosques and private collections. He also writes Turkish

inscriptions for invitation cards and custom orders.

when love for the prophet becomes art - 2011

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