"Beyân-ı Menâzil-i Sefer-i 'Irâkeyn-i Sultan Süleyman Han / Mecmu-ı Menâzil (Istanbul University Library T 5964)" in miniatures architecture descriptions

Matrakçı Nasûh is one of the most important and curious artists of the 16th century with his life, works, and his versatile and colorful personality. His unique style and talent put him ahead of his contemporaries. Although Matrakçı Nasûh wrote many works on gunslinger, mathematics and history, his most remarkable works are those on history, which he both wrote and miniature. He illustrated three of the works on this history. These works are; Tarih-i Sultan Bayezid, Tarih-i Feth-i Şikloş Estergon ve Istol-Belgrade and Beyan-i Menazil-i Sefer-i Irakeyn -i Sultan Süleyman Han. One of these works, Beyan-ı Menazil-i Sefer-i Irakeyn -i Sultan Süleyman Han, which is the subject of our thesis, is a manuscript work that Mecmu-ı Menazil Matrakçı both wrote and painted based on his observations and participated in the expedition with the Sultan himself. The importance of this work is the unique style of Matrakçı and the reality of the ranges followed by the paintings. The writing of the places where they stayed and migrated, and the fact that many of them have their pictures, is also important as this work is a map. Matrakçı Nasûh made this work in this way so that it can be used as a map when he goes on an expedition. The fact that the structures in the paintings, especially the important ones, are realistic and in accordance with their originals, is of particular importance in terms of the architecture and city plan of that period. The style and vivid colors Matrakçı uses in his paintings also emphasize his unique style. In this work, Matrakçı Nasûh depicted the ranges, the architectural structures there, the topographical features of the regions, the materials used in their structures, the climate characteristics and the animals seen in the regions. He never used a human figure. Matrakçı Nasûh's works have been wondered and studied by many people. There are many studies on his works that have been dealt with from different aspects. Dozens of studies and researches have been done even only on Mecmu-ı Menazil. Because there are too many factors in the work that can be handled from different aspects.