A miniature in the second volume of the 1558 Hünernâme (Book of Virtues) depicts Süleyman I in his youth, before he grew a beard, hunting at Filibe Palace. The sultan sits on a chair and wears only the left sleeve of his outer kaftan so he can use his right arm more freely. His right arm is raised as if the arrow has just been loosed. Behind him stand his guards, cup-bearers, and a yellow-capped gardener with a gun on his shoulder, and at his side are two young princes. In the background are the buildings of Silivri Palace in a garden with a cypress and a tree with spring blossoms. On the opposite page, three fallen wild pigs are depicted, shot by the young ruler with a single arrow, which has gone straight through and become lodged in the trunk of a tree. Behind the pigs, yellow-capped gardeners are standing. A double row of six cypress trees and a flowering tree, with a garden köşk surrounded on two sides by a red painted fence, appear in the garden. A river is depicted traversing the bottom of the two pages.

The text for this entry is adapted from Nurhan Atasoy, Garden for the Sultan, 235.

Source: Court Chronicle, 16th century, Travel Account, 17th century

-Nurhan Atasoy, Seyit Ali Kahraman

Resources:

Hünernâme: Minyatürleri ve sanatçıları (Open in Zotero)

A Garden for the Sultan: Gardens and Flowers in the Ottoman Culture (Open in Zotero)

Originally published at: Atasoy, Nurhan, and Seyit Ali Kahraman “Filibe Palace Garden.” Middle East Gardens Traditions. Dumbarton Oaks, December 1, 2014. https://www.doaks.org/resources/middle-east-garden-traditions/catalogue/C98. Archived at: https://perma.cc/5UDZ-R9BM.