Bindings of Mamluk manuscripts found in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts

Bookbinding emerged when the rolls were replaced by the codex, the pages of which were cut into a rectangular shape in Roman times. The oldest surviving bindings were made by covering the papyrus with leather in a very simple way and they remain from the century IV. The first examples having artistic value were made by the Uyghurs in Central Asia and the Copts in Egypt between century VIII and IX. The earliest examples of Islamic binding art were also found in Tunisia and Egypt. Islamic bookbindings were continued by Abbasids, Tulunids, Great Seljuks, Fatimids, Ayyubids, Ilkhanids, Calayirs, Anatolian Seljuks, Safavids, Ottomans and Mamluks and bindings each is more beautiful than the next were produced. Although Mamluk bindings establish an own stylistic feature called by its name in Islamic bookbinding art, there is not enough information about them and have not been studied these bindings in our country. With this study, it is aimed to catalogue, introduce, determine the stylistic features of Mamluk bindings and present them to the researchers who are interested in the subject. In this study, the bindings of the manuscripts in the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum were examined; among these manuscripts, leather bindings from the Mamluk period, which have artistic value, were preferred. In this study, which mainly consists of two parts, information about the Mamluks, the Mamluk system, the political history, cultural and social environment of the Mamluk State, architecture, glass, ceramics, tile, metalwork, calligraphy and illumination arts are given in the first part. In the second part: first of all, information about the binding art of the Mamluk period is given. After this general information, the Mamluk bindings found in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Works belong to the Sultans who reigned during the period (Baibars, Nasiruddin Muhammad b. Qalawun, Hasan an-Nasir, Barquq, Faraj İbn Barquq, Barsbay, Inal, Jaqmaq, Shaykh al- Muay'yad, Khushqadam, Qaitbay and Qansuh al-Ghawri) have been discussed and the bindings made during the period of these sultans have been examined in detail. A dictionary and catalogue have been added to the appendix section, and the catalogue information and interior and exterior cover visuals of the works introduced in the second section have been included.