A BOOK OF PRAYERS, INCLUDING AN ILLUMINATED DALA'IL AL-KHAYRAT, COPIED BY KAYISHZADE HAFIZ OSMAN NURI BURDURI, TURKEY, OTTOMAN, DATED 1308 AH/1890-91 AD |

Arabic manuscript on paper, 146 plus 7 fly-leaves, 7 lines to the page written in neat black naskh, interlinear Ottoman Turkish in smaller naskh in red, ruled in gold and black, verses marked by polychrome and gold pointed roundels or rosettes, titles in white thuluth against a gold ground within cartouches decorated with polychrome floral scrolls, 2 illuminated headpieces, f.9a with a fine gold drawing of a bunch of flowers, 6 gold and polychrome illustrations including the tomb of the Prophet (f.29b), Mecca (f.30b), Medina (f.31a), and the Dome of the Rock (f.32a), occasional comments in the margins within gold vignettes, in Ottoman binding decorated with gilt floral and geometrical interlaces, with flap

In good condition, the margins are clean, minor rubbing to the illuminations which maintain brightness, minor stains, as viewed.
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This magnificent copy of the Dala’il al-khayrat is copied by the master Kayishzade Hafiz Osman and it is dated to the last years of his life, the pinnacle of his calligraphic career. Born in Burdur in the second quarter or the nineteenth century, Kayishzade moved to Istanbul where he studied calligraphy under Kadiasker Mustafa Izzet Efendi (d.1876) and later Muhsinzade Abdullah Bey (d.1899). A pious Muslim, he taught at elementary schools and used to be an imam during the month of Ramadan. He died on 4 Ramadan 1311 AH (11 March 1894 AD), while leading the Tarawih prayer, leaving his one hundred and seventieth copy of Qur’an unfinished (Safwat 2014, p.168). His balanced naskh and abilities as a calligrapher were so great that he was commissioned to produce a Qur’an then largely printed, whose each page ended at a verse, to facilitate memorising it for young student.

A Qur’an signed by him and dated 1306 AH/1889 AD is in the Istanbul University Rare Books Library (inv.no. A6656, Derman 2010, p.378), another dated 1307 AH/1889-90 AD is in the collection of Cengiz Cetindogan (inv.no.2604, Safwat 2014, p.168), and a further copy dated 1308 AH/1891 AD is now in the Topkapi Palace Museum Library (inv.no.YY895, Derman 2010, p.384).

The date in the colophon is misspelled, which is though not unusual. Another ijazah signed by Kayishzade bearing a date misspelled is published here: http://hattatlarimiz.blogspot.com/2018/01/hattat-omer-lutfiburduri.html

The elegant and balanced naskh script in black is accompanied by a fine Ottoman translation in smaller red text. Signed on f.146a, the colophon reads the date 1[3]08, missing the number ‘3’. Another aspect worth noting is the lavish illumination throughout the whole manuscript. The two illuminated headpieces are decorated with rococo flowers with gold scrolls in the margins, illustrations of Mecca and Medina, four further illustrations depicting the Rawdah (the burial chamber of the Prophet) and the Dome of the Rock.  

Another example of an Ottoman Dala’il al-khayrat with extensive illustrations is now in the Islamic Arts Museum, Malaysia (inv.no.2002.6.62, Barakat 2016, p.43).