Project shows rare works to the world

ISTANBUL - Anatolia News Agency

Süleymaniye Mosque will be virtually visited by people all around the world thanks to the visual gallery project.

Sultan Süleyman the Magnificent will be commemorated on the 446th anniversary of his death with the project “Rare Works of Art” by Istanbul University (IU) and the consumer electronics store Teknosa.

The project marks the first virtual library in Turkey and the first interactive simulation of an important architectural structure in the country, Süleymaniye Mosque.

Teknosa will upload three one-of-a-kind manuscripts from the Süleyman period to the digital environment. “Divan-ı Muhibbi,” “Beyan-ı Menazil Sefer-i Irakeyn” and “Kitab-ı Bahriye,” which are kept in the IU Rare Book and Manuscript Library, have been preserved with digital tools.

A 3-D interactive simulation of architect Sinan’s Süleymaniye Mosque, which is one of the most significant structures of the period, has been prepared, making it possible to visit the structure virtually.

The project website will feature 3-D images of photographs, clothes and personal belongings of Süleyman the Magnificent, the 10th sultan of the Ottoman Empire.

The rector of IU, Professor Yunus Söylet, said the university had restored its historical structures and also reorganized the artwork in the Rare Books and Manuscripts Library using modern protection methods.

He said they continued to transfer rare books from the collection to the virtual environment with Teknosa. “These works of art will be shared with the whole world in this environment. There are no other copies of these works of art.”

The virtual gallery will remain open until Dec. 31, 2012.