Sheikh Hamdullah (1436–1520) ( tr, Şeyh Hamdullah), born in
Amasya
Amasya () is a city in northern Turkey and is the capital of Amasya Province, in the Black Sea Region. It was called Amaseia or Amasia in antiquity."Amasya" in ''The New Encyclopædia Britannica''. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica Inc., 15th e ...
,
Ottoman Empire
The Ottoman Empire, * ; is an archaic version. The definite article forms and were synonymous * and el, Оθωμανική Αυτοκρατορία, Othōmanikē Avtokratoria, label=none * info page on book at Martin Luther University) ...
, was a master of
Islamic calligraphy
Islamic calligraphy is the artistic practice of handwriting and calligraphy, in the languages which use Arabic alphabet or the alphabets derived from it. It includes Arabic, Persian, Ottoman, and Urdu calligraphy.Chapman, Caroline (2012). '' ...
.
Life and work
Sheikh Hamdullah was born in Amasya, a north-central town in
Anatolia
Anatolia, tr, Anadolu Yarımadası), and the Anatolian plateau, also known as Asia Minor, is a large peninsula in Western Asia and the westernmost protrusion of the Asian continent. It constitutes the major part of modern-day Turkey. The re ...
. His father, Mustafa Dede, was a Sheik of the
Suhrawardi order, and had migrated from
Bukhara
Bukhara (Uzbek language, Uzbek: /, ; tg, Бухоро, ) is the List of cities in Uzbekistan, seventh-largest city in Uzbekistan, with a population of 280,187 , and the capital of Bukhara Region.
People have inhabited the region around Bukhara ...
(in present-day
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan (, ; uz, Ozbekiston, italic=yes / , ; russian: Узбекистан), officially the Republic of Uzbekistan ( uz, Ozbekiston Respublikasi, italic=yes / ; russian: Республика Узбекистан), is a doubly landlocked cou ...
) to Anatolia.
In Amasya, he studied the six scripts under the tutelage of Hayreddin Mar'asi. He learned the traditional method of the old masters, but struggled to reproduce it. While studying, he met
Bâyezïd, the son of
Sultan Mehmed, the Conqueror who was a fellow student, and the pair became friends. When Bâyezïd assumed the throne in 1481, following his father's death, he invited his friend, Sheikh Hamdullah, to the capital, Istanbul. Hamdullah went on to become a master calligrapher at the Imperial Palace.
In 1485, Bâyezïd II acquired seven works by the great calligrapher,
Yaqut al-Musta'simi
Yaqut al-Musta'simi (Persian: یاقوت مستعصمی)(Arabic: ياقوت المستعصمي) (also Yakut-i Musta'simi) (died 1298) was a well-known Calligraphy, calligrapher and secretary of the Al-Musta'sim, last Abbasid caliph.
Life and wo ...
. Bâyezïd then encouraged his court calligrapher, Hamdullah, to devise a new script, inspired by the acquisition. Hamdullah regarded al-Musta'simi's work as unsurpassable, but at Bâyezïd's insistence, Hamdullah reluctantly agreed. Scholars have suggested that Bâyezïd's enthusiasm for a new script was symbolic of his desire to establish a new empire and a new dynasty.
Hamdullah underwent a period of reclusion during which time he claimed that a prophet taught him the new scripts in a vision. He ultimately recodified and refined the ''
nashk'' style of calligraphy, originally developed by
Yaqut al-Musta'simi
Yaqut al-Musta'simi (Persian: یاقوت مستعصمی)(Arabic: ياقوت المستعصمي) (also Yakut-i Musta'simi) (died 1298) was a well-known Calligraphy, calligrapher and secretary of the Al-Musta'sim, last Abbasid caliph.
Life and wo ...
. Hamdullah's scripts were more elegant, balanced and legible. From 1500, the majority of Q'rans adopted Hamdallah's new style, which became known as the ''Ottoman style'' or "Seyh's manner'. For this, he is often considered to be the "father of Ottoman calligraphy". His many students spread his style throughout the Ottoman Empire. His style endured for 150 years, making him one of the greatest Ottoman calligraphers of all time. As much as two centuries later, students of calligraphy such as
Hâfiz Osman
Hâfiz Osman ( ota, حافظ عثمان Modern Turkish: ''Hâfız Osman'') (1642–1698) was an Ottoman calligrapher noted for improving the script and for developing a layout template for the hilye which became the classical approach to page des ...
continued to copy his works assiduously as part of their training.
He devoted his whole life to the art of calligraphy, continuing to produce works well into his 80s. He produced 47
Mus'haf
A muṣḥaf ( ar, مُصْحَفْ, ; plural ''maṣāḥif'') is an Arabic word for a codex or collection of sheets, but also refers to a written copy of the Quran. The chapters of the Quran, which Muslims believe was revealed during a 23-year ...
s, book of
Quran
The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Classical Arabic, Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation in Islam, revelation from God in Islam, ...
, and innumerable
En'ams,
Evrads and
Juz', a number of which are held in the collection of the Topkapi Palace. His inscriptions also decorate the Bâyezïd, Firuzaga and Davud Mosques in Istanbul and the Bâyezïd Mosque in Erdine.
His son, Mawlana Dede Chalabi, became a calligrapher after studying with Hamdallah (his father) and Hamdallah's daughter, whose name is unknown, married a calligrapher by the name of Shukrullah Halife of Amasya, who had also been one of her father's pupils. Hamdullah's grandsons also became calligraphers; Pir Muhammad Dede (d. 986/1580, son of Hamdallah's daughter) and Dervish Muhammad (d. 888/1483, son of Mawlana Dede).
As his reputation grew, many myths to his abilities outside calligraphy sprang up. It was said that he was a great archer, falconer, swimmer and even an extraordinary tailor.
He died in Istanbul in 1520 and was buried at
Karacaahmet Cemetery
The Karacaahmet Cemetery ( tr, Karacaahmet Mezarlığı) is a 700-year-old historic cemetery, located in Üsküdar, the Asian side of Istanbul. Karacaahmet cemetery is the oldest and largest in Istanbul at , and the largest burial ground in Turkey ...
in the district of
Üsküdar
Üsküdar () is a large and densely populated district of Istanbul, Turkey, on the Anatolian shore of the Bosphorus. It is bordered to the north by Beykoz, to the east by Ümraniye, to the southeast by Ataşehir and to the south by Kadıköy; w ...
at
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
. Surviving examples of his works are held in the
Topkapi Collection.
File:Containing calligraphies ascribed to Şeyh Hamdullah - Murakka (calligraphic album) - Google Art Project (602085).jpg, Calligraphies ascribed to Şeyh Hamdullah from Murakka (calligraphic album)
File:Album leaf (CBL T 426, f.1a).jpg, Leaf from calligraphic album (illumination from 18th century)
File:Seyh Hamdullah - Page of Ottoman Calligraphy - Walters W6724A - Full Page.jpg, Page of Ottoman Calligraphy by Sheikh Hamdullah
File:Seyh Hamdullah - Page of Pen Exercises - Walters W6725B - Full Page.jpg, Page of Pen Exercises by Sheikh Hamdullah
Legacy
Biographical dictionaries outlining the lineages of calligraphers emerged as a small, but important literary genre in the 16th and 17th centuries. In these works, a tradition of tracing an unbroken line of master-pupil relationships back to Sheikh Hamdullah, the man who was seen as the father of Ottoman calligraphy, is evident. These 'genealogies' continue to be published into the present.
Examples of these calligraphic genealogies include:
*
Mustafa Âlî
Gelibolulu Mustafa Âlî bin Ahmed bin Abdülmevlâ Çelebi (b. 28 April 1541 – d. 1600) was an Ottoman historian, bureaucrat and major literary figure.
Life and work
Mustafa Ali was born on 28 April, 1541 in Gelibolu, a provincial town on the ...
, ''Epic Deeds of Artists,'' first published in 1587
* Nefes-zade Ibrahim Efendi (d. 1650), ''Gülzâr-i Savâb''
he Rose-garden of Proper Conduct first published c. 1640
* Sayocluzâde Mehmed Necîb (d. 1757), ''Devhatü’l-küttâb'' (دوحة الكتّاب)
enealogy of the Scribes, sometimes translated as the Great Tree of Penmen first published c. 1737
* Müstakim-zade Süleyman Sa'deddin Efendi, ''Tuhfei Hattatin''
resent for Calligraphers or sometimes translated as Choice Gift for Calligraphers first published c. 1788
[Behrens-Abouseif, D. and Vernoit, S., ''Islamic Art in the 19th Century: Tradition, Innovation, And Eclecticism'', BRILL, 2006, p.91; Akin-Kivanc, E., ''Mustafa Âli's Epic Deeds of Artists: A Critical Edition of the Earliest Ottoman Text about the Calligraphers and Painters of the Islamic World'', BRILL, 2011, p.11.]
* "The Genealogy of Ottoman Calligraphers" in: M. Uğur Derman (ed.), ''Letters in Gold: Ottoman Calligraphy from the Sakıp Sabancı Collection,'' New York, Harry Abrams, 2010, pp 186–189
See also
*
Culture of the Ottoman Empire
Ottomans culture evolved over several centuries as the ruling administration of the Turks absorbed, adapted and modified the various native cultures of conquered lands and their peoples. There was influence from the customs and languages of Isla ...
*
Islamic art
*
Islamic calligraphy
Islamic calligraphy is the artistic practice of handwriting and calligraphy, in the languages which use Arabic alphabet or the alphabets derived from it. It includes Arabic, Persian, Ottoman, and Urdu calligraphy.Chapman, Caroline (2012). '' ...
*
List of Ottoman calligraphers
The following is an incomplete List of Ottoman Calligraphers:
15th–16th century
*Hâfiz Osman
*Seyyid Kasim Gubari
* Ahmed Karahisari
*Sheikh Hamdullah
* Kahdi Mahmud Efendi (d. 1575)
* Ahmed Pasa (d. 1611) son of Kahdi Mahmud Efendi
* Mustafa ...
*
Ottoman art
Turkish art refers to all works of visual art originating from the geographical area of what is present day Turkey since the arrival of the Turks in the Middle Ages. Turkey also was the home of much significant art produced by earlier cultures, ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sheikh Hamdullah
1436 births
1520 deaths
Calligraphers from the Ottoman Empire
Burials at Karacaahmet Cemetery
Muslim artists
15th-century artists from the Ottoman Empire
16th-century artists from the Ottoman Empire