Surname-i Hümayun, Ottoman, 1588AD.
Illustrated by Nakkaş Osman and his team.
Ms. Haz. 1344, Topkapi Palace Museum, Istanbul.
Episode from the circumcision ceremonies of the future Mehmed III, in 1582.

The Surname-i Hümayun (Imperial Festival Book) or Sur-namé of Murad III, was commissioned in 1582 by the Sultan Murad III. It is a Turkish work describing the 52-day festivities organized for the circumcision ceremony of Şehzade Mehmet, son of Murad.

The work, which turned the festivities into a pictorial story with 250 double-page miniatures, was completed on 14 March 1588 and presented to the sultan. The only copy is in the Topkapı Palace Museum Library. It is registered as Hazine 1344. The Sur-name, whose text was written by the author with the pseudonym "İntizamî", was illustrated by Nakkaş Osman and his team. It is not certain whether the original of the text belongs to Seyyid Lokman, the Şahnameci, or to another Rumelian author using the pen name İntizamî.

The importance of the work comes from the miniatures produced by Nakkaş Osman. The Sur-name contains 250 double miniatures in full page size. Today there remain 432 leaves and 427 miniatures. These miniatures, which are historical documents in terms of presenting sections from the daily life of the period and giving occupational groups, are also considered as successful works of art.

A single composition repeats throughout the work, and the festival is depicted from the same point and with the same decor in all miniatures: At the Hippodrome, where the festivities take place, the movement starts from the right side, where the guest box and the public spectators are located; it continues on the left side where the palace and the sultan's lodge are located. The presenters, passing in front of the public and the guest lodge, advance towards the sultan; after saying their prayers and presenting their gifts, they demonstrate their skills. In this way, the festival is told from the beginning to the end through the eyes of the sultan.

Source: Turkish Wikipedia