Examination of Hilya-i Sharif's illumination ornaments in the calligraphy section of the Istanbul Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum

Works of art are design tools that express the civilisation levels and aesthetic pursuits of civilisations in the most beautiful way. One of these tools is the hılya-ı sharıf forms used in Turkish arts. The term Hılya-ı Sharıf, which means ornament, jewellery, jewellery, beautiful attributes, beautiful face; It is the name given to the forms designed to describe the physical qualities and character traits of the Prophet Muhammad. Hılya-ı Sharıfs, elements of our cultural heritage that can be reached from the past to the present day, are preserved in private collections, museums and libraries today. Museums identify, analyse, evaluate, preserve, promote and exhibit historical artefacts using scientific methodologies. They raise public awareness through educational programmes and aim to raise the cultural level of society. These institutions have a large collection of historical materials, including manuscripts of significant cultural value. The Istanbul Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art is a prominent museum with a treasure trove of artefacts of great diversity and richness. In this research, the works called hılya-ı sharıf in the calligraphy plate section of the Istanbul Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts were examined. There are 78 hilyes registered in the museum inventories. Some of these works are currently exhibited in different museums. It has been determined that 66 of the hılyas in the museum have illumination ornaments; however, 29 of these hılyas were evaluated in detail by making drawings. Within the scope of the study; 29 hılyas with illumination were focused on, detailed sketches of these works were drawn and detailed reports were prepared for each of them by analysing their pattern and composition features. Keywords: Calligraphy, Hılya-ı Sharıf, Cultural Heritage, Illumination, Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts.