Name of Object:Endowment Charter (Waqfiyya) of Haseki Hürrem Sultan Location:Sultanahmet, Istanbul, Turkey Holding Museum:Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts About Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, Sultanahmet Date of Object:AH 964 / AD 1556–7 Museum Inventory Number:2192 Material(s) / Technique(s):Delicate finished (aharlı) paper, written using ink, watercolour, gilding; tooled leather (binding). Dimensions:Length 28 cm, width 19 cm Period / Dynasty:Ottoman Provenance:Istanbul, Turkey. Description:This deed of trust for a pious foundation (waqf) belonging to the wife of Sultan Süleyman 'the Magnificent,' Haseki Hürrem Sultan, is written in Arabic on 49 pages of delicate finished (aharlı) paper and is dated AH 964 / AD 1557. The official monogram or tuğra of Sultan Süleyman (r. AH 926–74 / AD 1520–66) is found on page 1a. The text, which begins with a single-page heading, is written nine lines to the page in black ink within gold-ruled margins. The heading on page 1b and the spaces between the lines on page 2a are illuminated with gilding whose edges are traced in black. View Short DescriptionThe waqfiyya or endowment charter of the charities in Jerusalem of Hürrem Sultan, wife of Süleyman the Magnificent, known for her political involvement, elegance and charitable works, is not only a historical document but also a beautiful example of book arts of the AH 10th / AD 16th century. Original Owner:Haseki Hürrem Sultan (also known as Khassaki Sultan, or as Roxelana, d. AH 965 / AD 1558) How date and origin were established:According to the document's colophon it was written in 964 (1557). How Object was obtained:Brought from the Directorate of Pious Foundations in 1919. How provenance was established:The deed was written in 964 / 1557. In addition, the calligraphy, the tuğra of Sultan Süleyman 'the Magnificent,' the binding and the quality of the illumination show that the work was probably prepared in the 10th / 16th century in the palace atelier in Istanbul. Selected bibliography:Soliman le magnifique, Paris, 1990, pp.38–9, cat. no. 17. Citation of this web page:Sevgi Kutluay "Endowment Charter (Waqfiyya) of Haseki Hürrem Sultan" in Discover Islamic Art, Museum With No Frontiers, 2024. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;isl;tr;mus01;38;en Prepared by: Sevgi Kutluay
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