Matrakçı Nasuh opens in Rome

ROME

An exhibition titled “Matrakçı Nasuh: A 16th Century Genius,” featuring works by the famous 16th-century Ottoman philosopher, mathematician and historian Matrakçı Nasuh, opens today in Italian capital Rome. 

The exhibition is hosted by the Societa Geografica Italiana Foundation, which has Europe’s most important map archive and library, as part of its 150th anniversary celebrations. 

Curated by Besete Gürsu, the exhibition will remain open through the end of the month. 

The exhibition was previously showcased in Sarajevo, Belgrade, G20 Antalya Summit, Istanbul, Vienna, Tokyo and Paris to mark Nasuh’s 450th death anniversary. 

Nasuh (1480-1564) was an accomplished miniaturist, depicting events realistically but staying loyal to Islamic art conventions. His most famous works are a cityscape of Istanbul and volumes representing Sultan Süleyman I’s 1535-36 campaign in Iraq and Iran.

In 2013, UNESCO included Matrakçı Nasuh in its “remembrance and celebration anniversaries” agenda to mark the 460th year of his death.