Description

The ascension and the sacred sites of Islam have been a favored subject of philosophers, Sufis, writers, musicians, and artists across the Islamic world. Their work constitutes a rich cultural and artistic heritage, a heritage exemplified in the literature, music, and art of Ottoman society and its broader world. Bringing together the essays of 18 distinguished scholars and over 150 full-page color illustrations drawn from collections across the globe, this beautiful book presents depictions of the ascension and the holy cities of Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem from a variety of artistic and literary fields and explores how they drew from and built upon one another over the centuries, revealing the deep and multifaceted legacy of Ottoman engagement with the subject.

By Ayşe Taşkent (Editor), Nicole Kançal-Ferrari (Editor)

CONTENTS

Volume 1

A. List of Illustrations: Articles

B. List of Illustrations: Catalogue

Preface

Part I

Ayşe Taşkent Isrāʾ and Miʿrāj in Islamic Sources

Mustafa İsmet Uzun The Poetry of “Rising to the Level of God” in Turkish-Islamic Literature: Miʿrāciyyes and Miʿrāc-nāmes

Mehmet Arslan Verse Miʿrāciyyes and Miʿrāc-nāmes

Adnan Mulabdić The Miʿrāj in the Religious Tradition and the Miʿrāciyye in the Literary Culture of Bosnia and Herzegovina

Mahmud Erol Kılıç The Mystical Dimension of the Miʿrāj

Ayşe Taşkent Narratives on the Miʿrāj in Sufi and Philosophical Literature

Ayşe Taşkent Did Avicenna Write a Miʿrāj-nāma? A Structural and Content Analysis of the Miʿrāj-nāma in the Context of Avicenna’s Theory of Soul (Nafs) and Prophecy (Nubuwwa)

— A Translation of the Persian Miʿrāj-nāma

Süleyman Erguner The Ascension of Our Music: The Miʿrāciyye and Ḳuṭb-ı Nāyī ʿOs̠mān Dede

Nuri Özcan The Miʿrāciyye of Nāyī ʿOs̠mān Dede

Christiane Gruber Journey to Inspiration: Miʿrāj Texts and Images

Christiane Gruber The Miʿrājnāma’s Afterlife in the Ottoman Palace Collection: Pictorial Stimulus and Verbal Ekphrasis

Nicole Kançal-Ferrari The Prophet’s Turban and Celestial Crowns: Headgear in Ascension Scenes

Nicole Kançal-Ferrari The Wings of Angels: Representations of the Messengers between the Two Realms in Ascension Scenes

Ertuğrul Ertekin The Legend of ʿAlī Appearing in the Form of a Lion during the Miʿrāj and Its Reflection in Visual Culture: A Reading from the Miʿrāçlama of Khaṭāyī

Ayşe Taşkent Written and Visual Depictions of Burāq in Islamic Culture

Mehmetcan Akpınar Narratives on Burāq in Early Islamic Literature

Sumiyo Okumura The Saddlecloths of Burāq in Miʿrāj Scenes

Nina Macaraig The Fragrant Journey Heavenwards: Incense Burners in Miʿrāj Depictions

Volume 2

A. List of Illustrations: Articles

B. List of Illustrations: Catalogue

Part II

Mustafa Sabri Küçükaşcı The Starting Point of the Miʿrāj: Al-Masjid al-Ḥarām in History

Nebi Bozkurt Muslims’ First Qibla: Al-Masjid al-Aqṣā

Nebi Bozkurt The Jerusalem Leg of the Miʿrāj: The Dome of the Rock

Mustafa Sabri Küçükaşcı Al-Masjid al-Nabawī and the Tomb of the Prophet throughout History

Nicole Kançal-Ferrari Expression of Longing and the Creation of Spatial Sanctity: Holy Sites Represented in Prayer Spaces in Islamic Lands

Sabiha Göloğlu Linking, Printing, and Painting Sanctity and Protection: Representations of Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem in Late Ottoman Prayer Books

Zeynep Atbaş Islam’s Sacred Cities: Portrayals of Mecca, Medina, and Jerusalem in Examples from the Topkapı Palace Collection

Zeren Tanındı An Illustrated Ḥac Vekālet-nāme

Part III: Catalogue

Invitation to the Miʿrāj

The Siyer-i Nebī (Life of the Prophet)

The Night Journey (Isrā) from the Kaba to al-Masjid al-Aqṣā

The Prophet’s Arrival in Jerusalem

The Prophet through the Seven Heavens

The Stages of the Prophet’s Celestial Journey

The Noble Throne

Classical Miʿrāj Scenes

Ascension Scenes with a Lion

The Journey with Burāq and Angels

The Prophet’s Return to Mecca

Bringing the Holy Sites to Life in Islamic Culture

The Depiction of the Kaba in Historical Books and Literary Works

The Depiction of the Kaba in Geographical Manuscripts

The Depiction of the Holy Sites in Pilgrimage Guides and Prayer Books

The Depiction of the Holy Sites in Pilgrimage Scrolls

Bibliography

Index