Sacred Relics (Topkapı Palace)

The Islamic prophet Muhammad’s mantle, which was kept by the last Abbasid Caliph Mutawakkil III, was given to Selim I.

The poet's poem Kasida-ı Burda, praising Muhammad, decorates the Room of the Blessed Mantle.

[2] The mantle is almost two yards long and made of black wool lined with a cream-colored fabric.

[3] Traditionally the mantle was visited by the sultan, his family, and the court during a ceremony on the fifteenth day of Ramadan each year.

The Agha of the Muslin placed the first kerchief on the mantle and the sultan kissed it, followed by the imperial princes, viziers, officials, male attendants, and eunuchs.

We got up early that day, wore our most beautiful long-skirted ceremonial dresses, put on our jewels, and went to Topkapı.

The harem ağas, wearing embroidered uniforms, followed the carriage of my grandmother, which was in front.

We sensed odours, because incense was burning everywhere, and from behind a curtain came the Noble Qur'an read in an extremely beautiful voice by the muezzin.

The hearts of all of us filled with deep and humble reverence, with slow steps, our skirts sweeping the ground, we walked in ranks until we came in front of the padishah who stood at the foot of the throne.

we took the noble kerchief which was given into our hands, kissed it, put it over our heads, withdrew backward, and went and again stood in our ranks according to precedence.

The young princes, the sons of the padishah, stood in rank in uniform at the foot of the throne.

At the end of the ceremony the baş musahip appeared, gave an Oriental salute from the ground, and we left in ranks as we had entered, the valide sultan in front.

He would carry it from the Chamber of the Holy Relics to the Throne Room while officials called out "Allahu Akbar!".

"[9] After a battle, the banner would be returned the same way with the sultan carrying it back to the chamber and putting it into its box, while Qur'anic chants were read aloud and incense burned.