Siyer-i Nebi

Siyer-i Nebi is an epic about the life of the Prophet Mohammed . It was written by Mustafa ben Yusuf from Erzurum in 1388 on the order of Barquq , Sultan of the Mamluks in Cairo . The work comprises six volumes and contains 814 miniatures. Sultan Murad III. commissioned the illustration of the work by the calligrapher Lütfi Abdullah towards the end of the 16th century . The work was only under Murad's successor Mehmed III. Completed on January 16, 1595.

The originals of volumes 1, 2 and 6 are in the Topkapı Palace , volume 3 in the New York Public Library , volume 4 in the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin . The whereabouts of Volume 5 is unclear. Around 20 individual miniatures have been torn from the originals and are traded at art auctions. A copied edition from the 17th century is on display in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Art .