Editing Suleiman the Magnificent (section)

==The arts under Suleiman==
{{See also|Classical Ottoman architecture}}[[File:Execution of Prisonsers Belgrade-Suleymanname.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] miniature from the [[Süleymanname]] depicting the [[execution by elephant]] of defeated enemy in [[Belgrade]]]]
[[File:Tughra Suleiman.jpg|thumb|[[Tughra]] of Suleiman the Magnificent]]

Under Suleiman's patronage, the Ottoman Empire entered the golden age of its [[Culture of the Ottoman Empire|cultural development]]. Hundreds of imperial artistic societies (called the {{lang|ota|اهل حرف}} ''Ehl-i Hiref'', "Community of the Craftsmen") were administered at the Imperial seat, the [[Topkapı Palace]]. After an apprenticeship, artists and craftsmen could advance in rank within their field and were paid commensurate wages in quarterly annual installments. Payroll registers that survive testify to the breadth of Suleiman's patronage of the arts, the earliest of the documents dating from 1526 list 40&nbsp;societies with over 600&nbsp;members. The ''Ehl-i Hiref'' attracted the empire's most talented artisans to the Sultan's court, both from the Islamic world and from the recently conquered territories in Europe, resulting in a blend of Arabic, Turkish and European cultures.<ref name= "atil24">{{cite journal |url= http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/198704/the.golden.age.of.ottoman.art.htm|title=The Golden Age of Ottoman Art|access-date=18 April 2007|journal=Saudi Aramco World|date=July–August 1987 |volume= 38 |issue= 4|pages=24–33|issn=1530-5821|location=Houston, Texas|publisher=Aramco Services Co| last= Atıl |first= Esin|url-status= dead |archive-url= http://archive.wikiwix.com/cache/20110706142210/http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/198704/the.golden.age.of.ottoman.art.htm|archive-date=6 July 2011}}
</ref> Artisans in service of the court included painters, book binders, furriers, jewellers and goldsmiths. Whereas previous rulers had been influenced by [[Culture of Iran|Persian culture]] (Suleiman's father, Selim I, wrote poetry in Persian), Suleiman's patronage of the arts saw the Ottoman Empire assert its own artistic legacy.<ref name= Mansel />{{rp|70}}

Suleiman himself was an accomplished poet, writing in Persian and Turkish under the [[takhallus]] (nom de plume) ''Muhibbi'' ({{lang|ota|محبی}}, "Lover"). Some of Suleiman's verses have become Turkish proverbs, such as the well-known ''Everyone aims at the same meaning, but many are the versions of the story''{{Citation needed|reason=This claim needs a reliable source.|date=October 2023}}. When his young son [[Şehzade Mehmed|Mehmed]] died in 1543, he composed a moving [[chronogram]] to commemorate the year: ''Peerless among princes, my Sultan Mehmed''.<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://www.turkcebilgi.org/kim-kimdir/m/muhibbi-kanuni-sultan-suleyman-31612.html |title=Muhibbî (Kanunî Sultan Süleyman) |website= turkcebilgi.org| publisher= Türkçe Bilgi, Ansiklopedi, Sözlük}}</ref> In Turkish the chronogram reads {{lang|ota|شهزاده‌لر گزیده‌سی سلطان محمدم}} (''Şehzadeler güzidesi Sultan Muhammed'üm''), in which the Arabic [[Abjad numerals]] total 955, the equivalent in the [[Islamic calendar]] of 1543&nbsp;AD. In addition to Suleiman's own work, many great talents enlivened the literary world during Suleiman's rule, including [[Fuzûlî]] and [[Bâkî]]. The literary historian [[Elias John Wilkinson Gibb]] observed that "at no time, even in Turkey, was greater encouragement given to poetry than during the reign of this Sultan".<ref name=byegm>{{cite web| url= http://www.byegm.gov.tr/yayinlarimiz/NEWSPOT/1999/JulyAug/N6.htm| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20060309091926/http://www.byegm.gov.tr/yayinlarimiz/NEWSPOT/1999/JulyAug/N6.htm |archive-date= 9 March 2006| title= Halman, Suleyman the Magnificent Poet}}</ref> Suleiman's most famous verse is:

<poem style="margin-left:2em">
The people think of wealth and power as the greatest fate,
But in this world a spell of health is the best state.
What men call sovereignty is a worldly strife and constant war;
Worship of God is the highest throne, the happiest of all estates.<ref name= Mansel />{{rp|84}}
</poem>

[[File:Cour_mosquee_Suleymaniye_Istanbul.jpg|thumb|[[Süleymaniye Mosque]] in Istanbul, built by [[Mimar Sinan]], Suleiman's chief architect.]]

Suleiman also became renowned for sponsoring a series of monumental [[Ottoman architecture#Classical period (1437–1703)|architectural]] developments within his empire. The Sultan sought to turn Constantinople into the center of Islamic civilization by a series of projects, including bridges, mosques, palaces and various charitable and social establishments. The greatest of these were built by the Sultan's chief architect, [[Mimar Sinan]], under whom Ottoman architecture reached its zenith. Sinan became responsible for over three hundred monuments throughout the empire, including his two masterpieces, the [[Süleymaniye Mosque|Süleymaniye]] and [[Selimiye Mosque (Edirne)|Selimiye]] mosques—the latter built in Adrianople (now [[Edirne]]) in the reign of Suleiman's son [[Selim II]]. Suleiman also restored the [[Dome of the Rock]] in Jerusalem and the [[Walls of Jerusalem]] (which are the current walls of the [[Old City (Jerusalem)|Old City of Jerusalem]]), renovated the [[Kaaba]] in [[Mecca]], and constructed a complex in [[Damascus]].<ref>Atıl, 26.</ref>

Under his reign, The [[Topkapı Palace]] was greatly expanded with the permanent addition of the Imperial Harem to the Palace. From the reign of Suleiman, Topkapi not only served as the administrative center of the Empire, but also as the Imperial Residence of all succeeding Ottoman Sultans and the entire Ottoman Royal family until the 19th century. 

===Tulips===
Suleiman loved gardens and his [[shaykh]] grew a white tulip in one of the gardens. Some of the nobles in the court had seen the tulip and they also began growing their own.<ref name="tulips">{{cite news |title=Istanbul's signature flowers, plants in cologne bottles |url=https://www.dailysabah.com/life/2017/04/27/istanbuls-signature-flowers-plants-in-cologne-bottles |access-date=21 November 2022 |publisher=Daily Sabah |date=27 April 2017}}</ref> Soon images of the tulip were woven into rugs and fired into ceramics.<ref name="WSJ">{{cite news |last1=Kling |first1=Cynthia |title=Wild Tulips: Get In On This Gardening Trend Now |url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-less-flashy-tulip-gardeners-are-planting-right-now-1507833349 |access-date=21 November 2022 |publisher=The Wall Street Journal |date=12 October 2017}}</ref> Suleiman is credited with large-scale cultivation of the tulip and it is thought that the tulips spread throughout Europe because of Suleiman. It is thought that diplomats who visited him were gifted the flowers while visiting his court.<ref name="Osman">{{cite news |last1=Osman |first1=Nadda |title=Five national flowers from the Middle East and the symbolism they hold |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/discover/middle-east-flowers-national-symbolism |access-date=21 November 2022 |publisher=Middle East Eye |date=24 January 2022}}</ref>

[[File:Tulip in Turkey.jpg|thumb|A vibrant tulip in Turkey, symbolizing the country's deep historical and cultural connection with this beloved flower.]]

Suleiman's passion for tulips set a precedent for their cultivation and cultural significance in the Ottoman Empire. This fascination continued to flourish, reaching its zenith under Sultan Ahmet III, who ascended the throne in 1703. Ahmet III's gardens in Istanbul were adorned with tulips from Turkey's mountains and the finest bulbs imported from Dutch commercial growers. Throughout his reign, he imported millions of Dutch tulip bulbs, reflecting the enduring legacy of Suleiman's influence and the extravagant height of tulip culture during this period.<ref>Amsterdam Tulip Museum, "The Tulip in Turkey," accessed September 17, 2024, https://amsterdamtulipmuseum.com/pages/the-tulip-in-turkey.</ref>