e horses.

    “h peculiar noses?” Black asked like a child.

    But, in t, toered silk and dre fort asleep on a red Us,  pilloome again after so many years, I quickly understood t t begun for me.

    ty-five years ago ing and carrying it. oucy-five years ago, upon tan Süleyman t, Saed to be finally rid of tan imes, t along -laden camels  to Süleyman’s successor, Sultan Selim, acular Koran and t beautiful of treasury. First, a Persian ambassadorial delegation trong took tome to Edirne  ter ing; after it arrived anbul along s carried on camels and mules, or Black Memi and ers  to see t reasury. Just like tanbulites er Black Memi t t Master Bi  for tabriz in  contributed to this book because he’d gone blind.

    For Ottoman miniaturists like us rations, looking tained 250 large illustrations, e palace s slept. e stared at t pious reverence as if be ing moment. And for ty-five years reasury.

    I silently opened turned t rustle, I was overcome by melanchan awe.

    1. Mindful of tories suggesting t all ter miniaturists of Istanbul olen images from t give my full attention to tures.

    2. t I mig devote myself o terpieces t appeared in one of every five or six pictures ( grace did tas, ime of peace, eac, Greek and various other languages!).

    3. ted me from surrendering myself to w I saw.

    Naturally, I ed to find myself observing more , despite t luck of  me to  curtain of darkness descended over my eyes—to miniaturists. By time t of daomb, I’d ga