Rumi's Garden is proud to present the contemporary traditional Islamic calligraphy of Mehmet Memiş from Turkey. Assistant Prof. Dr. Mehmet Memiş was born in Çorum, Bayat in 1960. He graduated from the Faculty of Religious Studies at Konya University. While studying in Konya, he learned calligraphy from Hüseyin Öksüz. In 1985, Memiş was appointed to Kadıköy K. Atatürk Middle School. He continued his calligraphy work with Hasan Çelebi in Istanbul. In 1985-1988, Memiş attended Turkish Decorative Arts Course at the Topkapı Palace Museum. He learned nesta′likand Divanî scripts from Prof. Ali Alparslan in 1989-1990; and received a professional license in Sülüs-Nesih scripts from Hüseyin Öksüz in 1992. Memiş completed master′s degree at the Department of Traditional Turkish Handicrafts in the Faculty of Fine Arts of Marmara University in 1993. In the same year, he started teaching Turkish and Islamic Art History in the Faculty of Religious Studies at Harran University. After completing his doctoral degree in Turkish and Islamic Art History at Marmara University in 1998, Memiş started teaching Turkish and Islamic Art History as an assistant professor in the Faculty of Religious Studies at Sakarya University. He has also taught calligraphy in the Faculty of Fine Arts at the same university. Dr. Memiş has participated in numerous group exhibitions in Turkey and abroad, and has received 9 awards. He has also held his three solo exhibitions. Dr. Memiş currently continues teaching at Sakarya University.
About the Hilye:
The term hilya (Arabic حلية (plural: ḥilan, ḥulan), Turkish: hilye (plural: hilyeler) denotes a religious genre of Ottoman Turkish literature, dealing with the physical description of Muhammad. Hilya literally means "ornament".
They originate with the discipline of shama'il, the study of Muhammad's appearance and character, based on hadith accounts, most notably Tirmidhi's al-Shama'il al-Muhamadiyyah wa al-Khasa'il al-Mustafawiyyah ("The Sublime Characteristics of Muhammad").
In Ottoman-era folk Islam, there was a belief that reading and possessing Muhammad's description protects the person from trouble in this world and the next, it became customary to carry such descriptions, rendered in fine calligraphy and illuminated, as amulets. In 17th-century OttomanTurkey, hilyes developed into an art form with a standard layout, often framed and used as a wall decoration.
Later hilyes were also written for the first four Caliphs, the companions of Muhammad, Muhammad's grandchildren (Hasan and Hussein) and Islamic saints (walis).
Detailed Description:
Item Number: 417
Country of Origin: Turkey
Subject: Hilye Sherif
Calligrapher: Mehmet Memiş
Edition: Limited
Size: 46 X 68 cm
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