My Name is Red

The Ottoman Empire, founded by the Turkish ruler Osman in the 14th century, was at the zenith of its power in the mid-16th century. Ottoman expansion in the Mediterranean enlarged the empire’s borders to include territories once held by the Venetians. Additionally, under Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent (who reigned 1520-1566), the government consolidated and strengthened, and artistic developments and innovations were encouraged. Indeed, many historians refer to Süleyman’s reign as a Golden Age.

In 1591, the year in which My Name is Red is set, the Ottoman Empire was ruled by Murad III (reigned 1574-1595), who, like his grandfather Süleyman was a great patron of the arts, in particular illustrated manuscripts. Described as “one of the greatest Ottoman bibliophiles,” Murad commissioned albums of paintings, drawings, and literary works and supported the work of miniaturists (Aimée Froom, “Adorned Like a Rose: The Sultan Murad III Album (Austrian National Library, Cod. MIXT. 313) and the Persian Connection,” Artibus Asiae, 137). The Siyar-I Nabī, one of the most famous works commissioned by Murad, included more than 800 illustrations that represented events from the life of the prophet Muhammad and his son-in-law, Alī.

Beginning in the ninth century, Muslim theologians increasingly banned the artistic depictions of Allah, Muhammad, other religious figures, and sometimes even those of individual and recognizable people, basing such bans not on the Quran but on the Hadith (a religious text believed to be a record of the life of Muhammad). Nevertheless, illustrations of the Ottoman sultans, court figures, military battles, and religious history were frequently created for private use. Indeed, during the 16th century, several Sultans paid to produce manuscripts and hired calligraphers, poets, miniaturists, and others to tell the history of the Muslim world and celebrate the sovereignty of its rulers. Strict Muslims at this time, however, considered the depiction of realistic living people and animals blasphemous. Debates regarding the advisability of artists depicting realistic individuals and religious figures are highlighted throughout Pamuk’s novel and reflect contemporary cultural disputes.