Abstract:

In Ottoman tradition of thought the Prophet Muhammad represents the complete human being (al-insan al-kamil), who has reached the highest psychological, physical and spiritual stage of being. In this case the main purpose of the hilya as a work of calligraphy and illumination is to aesthetically evoke the physical appearance and moral character of the Prophet Muhammad. Moreover, the complex symbolism of the hilya as an expression of prophetic glory also reflects the cosmological thought of the Ottoman community. The subject of this article is to examine the classical hilya design attributed to the famous Ottoman calligrapher Hâfiz Osman in the context of calligraphy-illumination interaction and number symbolism. Examining classical examples of Turkish-Islamic arts of the book, we will try to observe that the conventional hilya design passed through various stages during the process of its formation. In this case the theoretical roots of Hâfiz Osman‟s hilya form and the probability of his inspiration by the aesthetic designs of the previous periods will be examined through the decorative manuscripts in religious and nonreligious topics.

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