Some Thoughts on Şerifi’s Mesâlik ve’l-Memâlik (Bologna University Ms. 3611)

Abstract

This article introduces the only extant illustrated Turkish copy of Istahri’s Kitāb al-Masālik wa-l-Mamālik (Book of Routes and Realms), one of the most widely circulated works of medieval Islamic geographical literature. It is held in the Bologna University Library under the shelfmark Ms. 3611. The Turkish text was translated in 1598 by Şerif bin Seyyid Muhammed (also known as Şerifi) through the mediation of Gazanfer Agha (d. 1603), the chief white eunuch and head of the Privy Chamber. Gazanfer Agha was one the most influential figures of the inner palace, during the reign of III. Mehmed (r. 1595-1603). The translated text was illustrated in the style developed by Nakkaş Hasan Pasha, a painter and courtier who was also a member of Sultan III. Mehmed’s Privy Chamber. Tercüme-i Mesâlik ve’l-Memâlik is a lesser-known example of the collaboration between these three actors, who played a central role in the court’s cultural production. Through a detailed examination of its codicological features and production context, this article aims to demonstrate that the Bologna manuscript comprises two illustrated copies produced simultaneously: one prepared for Sultan Mehmed III and the other for Gazanfer Agha. A close analysis of the images alongside the text reveals an interest in ancient geography, and highlights some of the differences between the two copies. However, a thorough comparison is left to further research due to the limitations of the surviving evidence. Ultimately, this study demonstrates how a comprehensive approach to a single manuscript, considering its visual, physical and content-related characteristics in tandem, can provide valuable insights into the broader considerations regarding the production, use and function of illustrated manuscripts in the sixteenth-century Ottoman court, as well as the intellectual practices of the courtiers.