Geometric decoration seen in miniatures of Firdevsi Shahnames in Topkapi Palace Library

Miniature art has an important place in terms of shedding light on the details of our history, culture and especially social life. Miniatures showing wedding festivities, hunting and war scenes, acceptance ceremonies are tangible sources in terms of examining the social life and art understanding, traditions and customs of the periods they belong to. Another important group among the miniature works is the Şehname. These works, which describe the lives of rulers in verse, were first addressed by Ferdowsi, who is lived in the tenth century. The thesis study includes only the works copied in the 16th century out of 54 manuscripts that were included in the 14th, 15th, 16th and 17th centuries that Fehmi Ethem Karatay classified in the Topkapı Palace Museum Library Persian Manuscripts Catalog. A total of 703 miniaturized pages among seventeen works belonging to the 16th century were examined. On the pages examined, 102 miniaturized pages of thirteen works of which geometric decoration was determined were studied. These thirteen detected works are registered with their inventory numbers: TSMK H. 1475 (XVI. yüzyıl), TSMK H. 1476 (1591-92), TSMK H. 1477 (1564), TSMK H.1480 (1521), TSMK H.1482 (1533), TSMK H.1485 (1522), TSMK H.1488 (1564-65), TSMK H.1497 (1574), TSMK H.1500 (XVI. yüzyıl), TSMK H.1507 (XVI. yüzyıl), TSMK H.1511 (XVI. yüzyıl), TSMK H.1514 (1539-40), TSMK R.1548 (1585). The thesis has been prepared in two parts. In the study, firstly the literary understanding of the author and then information about the "Şehname" which was the subject of the thesis was given. The geometric motifs included among the decorations of 102 miniatures found in the mentioned manuscripts were examined, and then they were evaluated artistically by referring to their usage areas in other art branches such as architecture, tile, and wood.