An analysis of the illuminations of Mushaf No. 487 attributed to Abdullah el Sayrafi in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Artefacts

Throughout history, Turks have produced important works in the field of book arts by combining the science they are interested in with art. The most striking examples of the art of illumination, which developed in different cultures and geographies, can be observed in manuscripts. In addition to the texts of the manuscripts, their decorations were also made with great care and mastery. Today, many museums, private collections and libraries have many illuminated manuscripts that are carefully preserved. The Mushaf-i Sharif attributed to Abdullah el Sayrafi with inventory number 487 in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art is one of these works. In this work, the zahriye, serlevha, Mushaf roses, stops and surah heads are illuminated. These illumination decorations constitute the subject of this study. In the first part of this study, the definition of the art of illumination, its history, the areas where illumination art is used, and the tradition of Mushaf decoration were researched. In the second part, information was given about the collection of Turkish and Islamic Works and Manuscripts and Abdullah al-Sayrafi, and the illuminated pages of the Qur'an attributed to Abdullah al-Sayrafi, which is thought to belong to the XIVth century in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Works, were drawn and analyzed in terms of motif, composition, color, style and period features. The thesis research is concluded with evaluation and conclusion, sources used and appendices. With this study, it is aimed to research the XIVth century example of illumination art and to bring it to the science and art circles. With the findings obtained, the illumination features of the Mushaf were analyzed. Keywords: Illumination Art, Abdullah El Sayrafi, Mushaf, Turkish and Islamic Art Museum.