Sacred Relics (Topkapı Palace)
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Islam Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
ic Sacred Relics (), also known as the Holy Relics, known collectively as the Sacred Trust, consist of religious relics sent to the
Ottoman Sultan The sultans of the Ottoman Empire (), who were all members of the Ottoman dynasty (House of Osman), ruled over the Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental empire from its perceived inception in 1299 to Dissolution of the Ottoman Em ...
s between the 16th century to the late 19th century. With the conquest of the Arabic world by Sultan
Selim I Selim I (; ; 10 October 1470 – 22 September 1520), known as Selim the Grim or Selim the Resolute (), was the List of sultans of the Ottoman Empire, sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. Despite lasting only eight years, his reign is ...
(1517), the
Caliph A caliphate ( ) is an institution or public office under the leadership of an Islamic steward with Khalifa, the title of caliph (; , ), a person considered a political–religious successor to the Islamic prophet Muhammad and a leader of ...
ate passed from the vanquished
Abbasid The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the prophets and messengers in Islam, Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 C ...
s to the Ottoman sultans. The
Islamic prophet Prophets in Islam () are individuals in Islam who are believed to spread God's message on Earth and serve as models of ideal human behaviour. Some prophets are categorized as messengers (; sing. , ), those who transmit divine revelation, mos ...
Muhammad Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
’s mantle, which was kept by the last Abbasid Caliph Mutawakkil III, was given to Selim I. The various
Relics of Muhammad A series of objects are venerated in Islam because of associations with Prophet Muhammad. Islam has had a long history of relic veneration, especially of veneration of relics attributed to the Islamic prophet Prophet Muhammad.Goldziher, I. and ...
, his followers, and other items purportedly associated with Muhammad were brought to
Topkapı Palace The Topkapı Palace (; ), or the Seraglio, is a large museum and library in the east of the Fatih List of districts of Istanbul, district of Istanbul in Turkey. From the 1460s to the completion of Dolmabahçe Palace in 1856, it served as the ad ...
in
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, where they remain to this day. The relics are housed in the former private chambers of the sultan, the Privy Chambers, which are located in the Third Courtyard of the palace. * The Destimal Chamber is the room in which
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's Pot,
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's Turban, the
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,
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's Sword, scrolls belonging to
John the Baptist John the Baptist ( – ) was a Jewish preacher active in the area of the Jordan River in the early first century AD. He is also known as Saint John the Forerunner in Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy, John the Immerser in some Baptist ...
, and Muhammad's footprint are on display. * The Şadırvanlı Sofa is the room where the keys to the
Kaaba The Kaaba (), also spelled Kaba, Kabah or Kabah, sometimes referred to as al-Kaba al-Musharrafa (), is a stone building at the center of Islam's most important mosque and Holiest sites in Islam, holiest site, the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Sa ...
, gutters of the Kaaba, the casing of the
Black Stone The Black Stone () is a rock set into the eastern corner of the Kaaba, the ancient building in the center of the Masjid al-Haram, Grand Mosque in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is revered by Muslims as an Islamic relic which, according to Muslim tradi ...
(), the Door of Repentance, and the swords of Muhammad's companions are on display. * The Audience Chamber, also known as the House of Petitions () houses a piece from a tooth of Muhammad (), hair from the beard of Muhammad (), the
Seal of Muhammad Seal may refer to any of the following: Common uses * Pinniped, a diverse group of semi-aquatic marine mammals, many of which are commonly called seals, particularly: ** Earless seal, also called "true seal" ** Fur seal ** Eared seal * Seal ( ...
(), an autographed Letter of Muhammad (), and Muhammad's swords and bow in their exclusive reliquary made by Ottoman goldsmiths. These are known as the Sacred Trusts (). The
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is recited continuously by a
mufti A mufti (; , ) is an Islamic jurist qualified to issue a nonbinding opinion ('' fatwa'') on a point of Islamic law (''sharia''). The act of issuing fatwas is called ''iftāʾ''. Muftis and their ''fatāwa'' have played an important role thro ...
in this chamber. * The Chamber of the Blessed Mantle houses the Blessed Mantle and the Holy Banner of Muhammad, in their golden chests beneath a latticed silver canopy.


Blessed Mantle

The Blessed Mantle, also known as the Holy Mantle, according to tradition was given by Muhammad to the poet
Ka'b bin Zuhayr Kaʿb ibn Zuhayr () was an Arabian poet of the 7th century, and a contemporary of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Ka'b ibn Zuhayr was the writer of ''Bānat Suʿād (Su'ād Has Departed)'', a qasida in praise of Muhammad. This was the first na'at ...
. The poet's poem ''Kasida-ı Burda'', praising Muhammad, decorates the Room of the Blessed Mantle.Davis (1970), p. 146 The mantle is almost two yards long and made of black wool lined with a cream-colored fabric.Davis (1970), p. 149 Traditionally the mantle was visited by the sultan, his family, and the court during a ceremony on the fifteenth day of Ramadan each year. During the ceremony the mantle was kissed. This was not done directly, but a piece of
muslin Muslin () is a cotton fabric of plain weave. It is made in a wide range of weights from delicate sheers to coarse sheeting. It is commonly believed that it gets its name from the city of Mosul, Iraq. Muslin was produced in different regions o ...
was placed over the vestment. This decorated kerchief, called the ''Noble Kerchief'' (''destimal-ı şerif''), was provided to each person by the Agha of the Muslin (''Tülbent Ağası''). The mantle was kept in a golden box, to which only the sultan had the keys. The box was opened while he intoned the ''
Basmala The (; also known by its opening words ; , "In the name of God in Islam, God") is the titular name of the Islamic phrase “In the name of God in Islam, God, Rahman (name), the Most Gracious, Rahim, the Most Merciful” (, ). It is one of ...
''. The mantle was actually wrapped in a number of square pieces of cloth called ''bohças''. In it was another small golden box in which forty ''bohças'' were wrapped around the mantle itself. The number forty was considered especially auspicious. The Agha of the Muslin placed the first kerchief on the mantle and the sultan kissed it, followed by the imperial princes, viziers, officials, male attendants, and eunuchs. This was done while Qur'anic chants filled the chamber. Then followed the women, who were led by the Queen Mother, followed by the chief consorts, concubines, and daughters of the sultan, as well as the wives of all officials present and female attendants. Princess Imperial
Hamide Ayşe Sultan Hamide is the feminine given name version of the name Hamid. It may refer to: Hamide *Hamide Akbayir (born 1959), German politician of Turkish descent *Hamide Ayşe Sultan (1887–1960), Ottoman princess, daughter of Sultan Abdul Hamid II *Hami ...
, daughter of Sultan
Abdul Hamid II Abdulhamid II or Abdul Hamid II (; ; 21 September 184210 February 1918) was the 34th sultan of the Ottoman Empire, from 1876 to 1909, and the last sultan to exert effective control over the fracturing state. He oversaw a Decline and modernizati ...
, gave a rare eyewitness account in her book “Babam Abdülhamit” (My Father, Abdülhamit), Istanbul, 1960. This passage by Ayşe Sultan provides an intimate glimpse of Abdülhamit II and her life as his daughter: A button of the mantle was dipped in rose water. Drops of the rose water were poured into pitchers which in turn were given to important people. This water was called the Water of the Blessed Mantle (''Hırka-ı Saadet Suyu'') and was purported to have miraculous qualities. After the ceremony, the sultan had the mantle packed back into its forty ''bohças'', the small golden box, the other ''bohças'' and then into the large golden box which itself was placed under the silver latticed canopy until next year.


Holy Banner

The second most important relic is the Holy Banner, also known as the Sacred Standard of Muhammad (, literally the "Noble Banner"). It is said to be the banner of Muhammad himself or at least to originate from his era. The origins of the Ottoman's acquisition of the relic is disputed. The banner was first used in a battle against the Austrian
Habsburg The House of Habsburg (; ), also known as the House of Austria, was one of the most powerful dynasties in the history of Europe and Western civilization. They were best known for their inbreeding and for ruling vast realms throughout Europe d ...
s in 1593 and again for a war in Hungary in 1594.Necipoğlu (1991), p. 151 The banner was in Topkapı by 1595. After Mehmed III took the banner and won the Siege of Eger in 1596, the banner became a victory symbol for the Ottoman forces. The banner was occasionally carried into battles to encourage troops and ensure victory. The banner would be taken out of its box by the sultan and affixed to a staff. He would carry it from the Chamber of the Holy Relics to the Throne Room while officials called out "Allahu Akbar!". After this, the banner was carried from the Throne Room to the Gate of Felicity and placed there. The grand vizier would receive the banner from the sultan in a ceremony in the Throne Room. While the grand vizier and the stood in attendance, the sultan would kiss the Holy Banner and entrust it to his grand vizier with the words: "I entrust the Sacred Standard to you and you to God. May He be your helper!" After a battle, the banner would be returned the same way with the sultan carrying it back to the chamber and putting it into its box, while Qur'anic chants were read aloud and incense burned. The banner was also taken out when mutinies by Janissaries erupted in 1651 and for the last time in 1826.Davis (1970), p. 154


References


Literature

* * * Fanny Davis. ''Palace of Topkapi in Istanbul''. 1970. ASIN B000NP64Z2


External links


Bilkent University , Images of the Sacred Trusts



The Sacred Trust – Pavilion Of The Sacred Relics
book by Hilmi Aydin
The Sacred Trust – Pavilion Of The Sacred Relics
book by Hilmi Aydin (UK site) {{DEFAULTSORT:Sacred Relics (Topkapi Palace) Topkapı Palace Relics Possessions of Muhammad