An Example of 19th Century Prayer Books: Enʿām-ı Sharı̄f Commissioned for Düzdidil Kadınefendi

Abstract

The Enʿām-ı Sharı̄fs which were prepared by writing the sūrah of En’âm together with other sūrahs and prayers in beautiful calligraphy and ornamentation, became one of the most widely read prayer books in Ottoman society after the Qur’ân. 19th-century Enʿām-ı Sharı̄fs differ from the Enʿām-ı Sharı̄fs of other centuries with their different contents and decorative features. The Enʿām-ı Sharı̄f, which is the subject of our study, is a 19th-century Enʿām-ı Sharı̄f dated H.1261/M.1845 in the Bavarian State Library, prepared for Düzdidil Kadınefendi, the third woman of Abdülmecid I. The manuscript includes prayers and supplications from Düzdidil Kadınefendi’s mouth, verses on the request for healing, prayers, and talismanic seals. Düzdidil Kadınefendi suffered from tuberculosis at an early age and died at an early age due to this disease. She probably had this prayer book commissioned because of her illness. The fact that a lady in the harem contracted tuberculosis and had a prayer book compiled containing prayers for healing makes this manuscript special and distinctive. The manuscript also has a Sufistic character. It contains the names of Sûfî greats and the prayers in which these names appear. The manuscript has rich decorative features. The illumination style of the manuscript is baroque-rococo style, and floral motifs such as baskets, vases, and roses are used extensively. Although gold color is predominant in the floral motifs, a wide range of colors is used. The manuscript’s binding features floral decoration and is arranged in yekşâh style. The manuscript includes miniatures of the holy relics of the Prophet Muhammad and sacred places. While the miniatures of holy relics were painted in two dimensions, the miniatures of sacred places such as Masjid al-Harām and Masjid al-Nabı̄ were painted in orthographic projection and parallel view. The illuminator of the manuscript is Hüseyin Efendi and the calligrapher is Hafız Hasan Râşid Efendi. Although the names of the calligrapher and the illuminator are known, there is confusion about the identity of the illuminator. This article aims to reveal the place of this prayer book in the history of Turkish book arts and to reveal the identity of the artists who produced this enʿām-ı sharı̄f by examining the content and ornamental features of this manuscript. This article will not only contribute to future studies on 19th-century prayer books, but will also pioneer future research on the financial power of a woman in the Ottoman harem, her Sufi tendencies, and the book patronage of harem women.