A comparative analysis of the manuscripts registered under inventory numbers TİEM 367 and 403 in terms of illumination art, donated to the Sultanahmet Mosque

The Qur'anic manuscripts examined in this study are registered in the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum under the inventory numbers 367 and 403. Belonging to the 17th-century Ottoman period, these Works were prepared during the reign of Sultan Ahmed I and were endowed to the Sultanahmet Mosque, which was commissioned by the sultan himself. In the initial stage of the research the political and cultural context of the 17th century is discussed, followed by general information on Ottoman book arts and the institution of waqf (endowment). In the final section, the general features of the Qur'anic manuscripts are presented, and the illuminated sections are analyzed under relevant headings in terms of design layout, background color, and motif diversity. Based on the findings of the thesis, these manuscripts -completed within close chronological proximity- are compared in terms of their illumination designs, and detailed evaluations regarding their ornamentation are provided. Keywords: Illumination, Quran Manuscript, Ahmed I, Sultanahmet Mosque, Waqf.