‘Sacred Relics’ exhibit opens at Rami Library

ISTANBUL

The exhibition “Ottoman Sultans’ Devotion: Sacred Relics,” prepared by the General Directorate of Cultural Heritage and Museums, has opened at the Rami Library.

Hosted at the F1 Exhibition Hall of Rami Library, the show brings together 57 valuable works selected from the collections of the Istanbul Tombs Museum, the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum and the Istanbul Archaeology Museums.

The exhibition conveys the deep affection and sense of service Ottoman sultans felt toward the Kaaba through works of art. On display are calligraphic panels commissioned by Ottoman rulers, purses and gold sent to the Haremeyn as part of the traditional surre processions, interior and exterior coverings of the Kaaba, fragments of the Kaaba belt and rare copies of the Quran produced by master calligraphers.

Repatriated tiles on display

Among the highlights are works that were illegally taken abroad and later returned to Türkiye.

Two Iznik tile panels stolen from the Sultanahmet and Rüstem Paşa mosques, whose sale was halted and which were brought back to the country through the initiatives of the Culture and Tourism Ministry and the intensive efforts of Türkiye’s Embassy in London, can be viewed as part of the special selection.

The exhibition also features examples of sacred coverings that were sent from the Ottoman palace to the Haremeyn for centuries and brought back to Istanbul with special ceremonies after use, evoking a pilgrimage journey accompanied by a surre procession.

Carrying the joy of Ramadan from the palace tradition to the present day, the exhibition offers visitors the opportunity to examine treasured relics such as strands of the Prophet Muhammad’s beard and cloths blessed by being rubbed on his mantle.

The exhibition is open to the public free of charge daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. until March 22.