Lot Essay
The documents refer to a major endowment comprising a mosque and its associated college, hostel, staff quarters, kitchens, bath, garden etc. Names mentioned refer to places in Eastern Turkey in the province of Van.
Every page has the seal impression of Khusraw b. 'Abdullah, a vizier of the late 16th century, for whom the waqfnameh was written. A note on the opening folio, apparently contemporary with the tughra is reconfirmation of the waqf endowed by the scribe's grandfather. This would confirm the mid-seventeenth century and possibly provincial style of the tughra, though it is not clear why it was felt necessary to add it. Interestingly, although the waqf refers to land in Eastern Turkey, the tastiq in the margin of f.1v. is signed by a rumeli ('European') qadi, Mehmed b. Mustafa. This kasasker is also mentioned in a Mulknameh of Sultan Murad III dated July 1585. (Nadir,A.: Imperial Ottoman Fermans, London 1986, no.25, p.75)
For comparable seventeenth century tughras, see Umar, S.: Osmanli Padishah Tughralari, Istanbul 1980, pp.177 and 183
Every page has the seal impression of Khusraw b. 'Abdullah, a vizier of the late 16th century, for whom the waqfnameh was written. A note on the opening folio, apparently contemporary with the tughra is reconfirmation of the waqf endowed by the scribe's grandfather. This would confirm the mid-seventeenth century and possibly provincial style of the tughra, though it is not clear why it was felt necessary to add it. Interestingly, although the waqf refers to land in Eastern Turkey, the tastiq in the margin of f.1v. is signed by a rumeli ('European') qadi, Mehmed b. Mustafa. This kasasker is also mentioned in a Mulknameh of Sultan Murad III dated July 1585. (Nadir,A.: Imperial Ottoman Fermans, London 1986, no.25, p.75)
For comparable seventeenth century tughras, see Umar, S.: Osmanli Padishah Tughralari, Istanbul 1980, pp.177 and 183