Sabancı to remember the Sultan

ISTANBUL - Hürriyet Daily News

Sultan Bayezid II will be commemorated on the 500th anniversary of his death with a discussion panel at the Sakıp Sabancı Museum May 26.

Many illuminated manuscripts dating from the reign of Bayezid II have survived to the present day. Some of these are masterpieces of Ottoman palace art dedicated to the sultan, while others were valuable gifts from rulers in the region.

Sultan Bayezid II established friendly relations with Francesco Gonzaga, the marquis of Mantua, and their envoys exchanged precious gifts. In a letter to Bayezid II, the famous Italian artist, engineer and architect Leonardo da Vinci suggested building floating bridges over the Golden Horn and the Bosphorus. Sultan Bayezid invited Da Vinci to construct a bridge over the Golden Horn.

The museum’s panel will discuss Sultan Bayezid II’s patronage of writers, poets and artists, whom he rewarded generously, his political relations with eastern and western states, and his contributions to the flourishing cultural milieu of his time, which produced major works of literature, art and science. The panel will also introduce a facsimile edition of the poet Efsahî’s odes in praise of Sultan Bayezid, a rare work in the Sakıp Sabancı Museum collection that was produced by palace artists for presentation to the sultan around 1500. The panel will be chaired by Professor Mübahat Kütükoğlu, and other panelists will include Professor Mustafa Çiçekler, Dr. Nenad Filipovic, Professor Gülru Necipoğlu and Professor Zeren Tanındı.