Siyer-i Nebi

Siyer-i Nebi (Ottoman Turkish: سیر نبی) is an Ottoman epic on the life of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, completed around 1388, written by Mustafa (son of Yusuf of Erzurum, known as al-Darir), a Mevlevi dervish on the commission of Sultan Barquq, the Mamluk ruler in Cairo.

This epic would later be illustrated by Mustafa ibn Vali in the late 16th century, as commissioned by his patron, Sultan Murad III.

[1] The Ottoman ruler Murad III (1574–1595) commissioned a lavish illustrated copy of the epic, which has been described as "the largest single cycle of religious painting in Islamic art" and "the most complete visual portrayal of the life of the prophet Muhammad".

The completed work contained 814 miniatures in six volumes, which include many depictions of Muhammad, who is always shown with a veiled face, as was the convention during the time period; he is also surrounded by flames, which is the eastern equivalent of a halo.

[5] A 17th century copy of Volume IV, made in the court atelier, is in the Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts, Sultanahmet, Istanbul.