Our team member Negar Kazemipourleilabadi recently went on a research trip to Istanbul, where she explored the rich manuscript culture of the city through visits to three major libraries: the Süleymaniye Library, the Millet Library, and the Beyazıt State Library. Her focus was on different versions of the Divan-i Muhibbi, Sultan Süleyman’s poetic collection, which she examined first-hand in beautifully preserved and often richly illuminated volumes.
At Süleymaniye Library, Negar also visited a curated manuscript exhibition, featuring rare Qur’ans, scientific treatises, and poetic works. These displays provided further context for the manuscripts she was studying. Some copies of Divan-i Muhibbi were particularly striking for their gold and color-rich decorations, while others offered insight through marginal notes and varied page orders—details essential to her comparative research.
The Millet Library offered a calm and focused environment, where she noted layout differences and calligraphic styles across copies. At the Beyazıt Library, Negar studied manuscripts that revealed traces of ownership and use—evidence of their journeys through time.
A highlight of her visit was the opportunity to meet the treasure keeper at TİEM (the Turkish and Islamic Arts Museum). Although manuscript access was not possible during this trip, she could have access to the digital collection of the manuscripts and she was warmly invited to return and examine selected works in a future visit.
Beyond the archives, Negar spent time in Sultanahmet, visiting landmarks such as the Blue Mosque, Hagia Sophia, and the Hippodrome. These monuments, layered with Byzantine and Ottoman heritage, enriched her understanding of the historical and cultural world surrounding the manuscripts she studies.
This visit deepened both the academic and personal dimensions of her research, reaffirming the importance of material engagement with historical sources and the living heritage of Istanbul.
