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The Age of Süleyman "the Magnificent" (r. 1520–1566)

• 
  Mirror with split-leaf palmette design inlaid with gold, Ottoman period (ca. 1299–1923), early 16th century
  Turkey, probably Bursa or Istanbul
  Iron, inlaid with gold; ivory; H. 9 3/8 in. (23.8 cm), Diam. 4 3/4 in. (12.1 cm), D. 1/8 in. (0.2 cm)
  Fletcher Fund, 1972 (1972.24)
  
• 
  Hungarian-style Shield, ca. 1500–1550
  Eastern European
  Wood, leather, gesso, polychromy; 32 1/2 x 21 in. (82.6 x 54.9 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1949 (49.57.1)
  
• 

  Yatagan, ca. 1525–30
  Made by the Workshop of Ahmed Tekelü
  Turkey (Istanbul)
  Steel, walrus ivory, gold, silver, rubies, turquoise, pearl; L. 23 3/8 in. (59.3 cm)
  Purchase, Lila Acheson Wallace Gift, 1993 (1993.14)

• 
  Fragment of a kaftan back, Ottoman period (ca. 1299–1923), mid-16th century
  Turkey, probably Istanbul
  Silk, metal-wrapped thread; taqueté (seraser); L. 52 in. (132.1 cm), W. 27 in. (68.6 cm)
  Purchase, Joseph Pulitzer Bequest, 1952 (52.20.15)
  
• 
  Helmet, mid-16th century; Ottoman period
  Turkish
  Steel, damascened with gold; H. 10 3/4 in. (27.8 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1904 (04.3.456a)
  
• 
  Dish, Ottoman period (ca. 1299–1923), mid-16th century
  Turkey, Iznik
  Stonepaste; painted in turquoise and two hues of blue under transparent glaze; H. 3 in. (7.62 cm), Diam. 15 1/2 in. (39.4 cm)
  Bequest of Benjamin Altman, 1913 (14.40.727)
  
• 
  Leaf from Futuh al-Haramain (Description of the Two Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina), mid-16th century; Ottoman
  Probably Turkey
  Ink, colors, and gold on paper; 8 3/8 x 5 1/4 in. (21.3 x 13.3 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1932 (32.131)
  
• 
  Ornamental drawing of a dragon, mid-16th century; Ottoman
  Attributed to Shah Quli
  Turkey (Istanbul)
  Ink, colors, and gold on paper; H. 6 7/8 in. (17.3 cm), W. 10 7/8 in. (27.2 cm)
  Cora Timken Burnett Collection of Persian Miniatures and Other Persian Art Objects, Bequest of Cora Timken Burnett, 1956 (57.51.26)
  
• 
  Tughra (Imperial Cipher) of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent (r. 1520–1566), ca. 1555; Ottoman
  Turkey (Istanbul)
  Ink, opaque watercolors, and gold on paper; 20 1/2 x 25 3/8 in. (52.1 x 64.5 cm)
  Rogers Fund, 1938 (38.149.1)
  

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Under Süleyman, popularly known as "the Magnificent" or "the Lawmaker," the Ottoman empire reached the apogee of its military and political power. Süleyman's armies conquered Hungary, over which the Ottomans maintained control for over 150 years, and they advanced as far west as Vienna, threatening the Habsburgs. To the east, the Ottoman forces wrested control of Iraq from the Safavids of Iran. In the Mediterranean, their navy captured all the principal North African ports, and for a time the Ottoman fleet completely dominated the sea. By the end of Süleyman's reign, Ottoman hegemony extended over a great portion of Europe, Asia, and Africa.

The tile revetment of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, as well as several additions to sites in Mecca and Medina, the two Holy Cities of Islam date from this period.

Related

Cited Works of Art or Images (3)

• 
• 
• 

Timelines (7)

• Anatolia and the Caucasus, 1400–1600 a.d.
• Arabian Peninsula, 1400–1600 a.d.
• Balkan Peninsula, 1400–1600 a.d.
• Eastern Europe and Scandinavia, 1400–1600 a.d.
• Egypt, 1400–1600 a.d.
• Iraq, 1400–1600 a.d.
• The Eastern Mediterranean, 1400–1600 a.d.

Primary Thematic Essays (3)

• Calligraphy in Islamic Art
• The Art of the Ottomans before 1600
• The Ottoman Empire before 1600 A.D.

Other Thematic Essays (19)

• Baths and Bathing Culture in the Middle East: The Hammam
• Birth of Islam
• Byzantine Art under Islam
• Constantinople after 1261
• Europe and the Islamic World, 1600-1800
• Hagia Sophia, 532–37
• Islamic Arms and Armor
• List of Rulers of the Islamic World
• Orientalism in Nineteenth-Century Art
• Paul Poiret (1879–1944)
• Silk Textiles from Safavid Iran, 1501
• Silks from Ottoman Turkey
• The Art of the Ottomans after 1600
• The Art of the Safavids before 1600
• The Decoration of Arms and Armor
• The Greater Ottoman Empire, 1600-1800
• The Holy Roman Empire and the Habsburgs, 1400-1600
• The Nature of Islamic Art
• The Shahnama of Shah Tahmasp

Maps (2)

• West Asia, 1400-1600 A.D.
• World, 1400-1600 A.D.

Index Terms (14)

Art Movement/Style

• Ottoman Art in the Later Islamic Period
• Safavid Art in the Later Islamic Period

Artist

• Ahmed Tekelü (active in Istanbul, ca. 1520–30)
• Shah Quli (Turkish, active ca. mid–16th century)

Geography/Place

• The Balkan Peninsula
• Islamic World
• Anatolia and the Caucasus
• The Eastern Mediterranean

Material and Technique

• Leather
• Gold Leaf

Object

• Men's Clothing

Subject Matter/Theme

• Liturgical Books
• Islam
• Trade (1400–1600 a.d.)

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Along with geographic expansion, trade, economic growth, and tremendous cultural and artistic activity helped define the reign of Süleyman as a "Golden Age." Developments occurred in every field of the arts; however, those in calligraphy, manuscript painting, textiles, and ceramics were particularly significant. Artists renowned by name include calligrapher Ahmad Karahisari as well as painters Shahquli and Kara Memi.



In architecture, the most outstanding achievements of this period were the public buildings designed by Sinan (1539–1588), chief of the Corps of Royal Architects. While Sinan is often remembered for his two major commissions, the mosque complexes of Süleymaniye in Istanbul (1550–57) and of the later Selimiye in Edirne (1568–74), he designed hundreds of buildings across the Ottoman empire and contributed to the dissemination of Ottoman culture. Apart from mosques and other pious foundations—including schools, hospices, and soup kitchens, supported by shops, markets, baths, and caravanserais—Süleyman also commissioned repairs and additions to major historical monuments. The tile revetment of the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, as well as several additions to sites in Mecca and Medina, the two Holy Cities of Islam, date from this period.

Suzan Yalman Department of Education, The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Based on original work by Linda Komaroff

Citation Yalman, Suzan. "The Age of Süleyman "the Magnificent" (r. 1520–1566)". In Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History. New York: The Metropolitan Museum of Art, 2000–. http://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/suly/hd_suly.htm (October 2002) Further Reading Atil, Esin The Age of Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent. Exhibition catalogue.. Washington, D.C.: National Gallery of Art, 1987. Necipoglu, Gülru The Age of Sinan: Architectural Culture in the Ottoman Empire. London: Reaktion, 2005. Related exhibitions and online features Special Exhibitions (including upcoming, current, and past exhibitions)

These related Museum Bulletin or Journal articles may or may not represent the most current scholarship. Frazer, Margaret English "Medieval Church Treasuries." The Metropolitan Museum of Art Bulletin, v. 43, no. 3 (Winter, 1985–86). JSTOR | PDF | Supplemental PDFs "Director’s Note" PDF "Introduction" PDF