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Hâfiz Osman

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Hâfiz Osman was a master of beautiful writing. This art is called calligraphy. He lived in the Ottoman Empire from 1642 to 1698. Osman was a very important artist in Istanbul. He changed how people designed pages. He also made old writing styles new again. People loved his work very much.

Osman worked hard to perfect his skill. He spent many hours copying the work of Şeyh Hamdullah. Hamdullah was a famous calligrapher from the 1400s. Osman studied two main styles named naskh and sulus. He learned from teachers named Suyolcuzade Mustafa Eyyubi and Derviş Ali. He even brought back six old scripts. These scripts were once forgotten. He cleaned them up to make his own special style.

Osman was a teacher to many people. He taught three sultans named Ahmed II, Mustafa II, and Ahmed III. Sultan Mustafa II held Osman's inkwell while he worked. This shows how much the sultan respected him. Osman was also very kind to everyone. He gave lessons to poor people on Sundays. He taught wealthy people on Wednesdays. He trained many students during his life. One of his best students was Yedikuleli Seyyid 'Abdullah Efendi.

Osman was also a master of page layout. He created a famous design called a hilye. A hilye is a beautiful panel of writing. It uses text to describe the Prophet Muhammad. This design has eight special parts. These parts are the Ba makan, Gobek, Hilal, Ko'eler, Ayak, Etek, Koltukar, and Pervaz. These names mean things like belly, crescent, and frame. This layout became the standard for the whole Ottoman world.

People used hilye panels as art for their walls. They were used for thinking and prayer. These panels did not show pictures of the Prophet. Instead, they used words to help people imagine him. This followed the rules of their faith. You can still see his work today. Some of his copies of the Koran are in the Topkapi Palace Museum Library. Other works are in the Nasser D. Khalili Collection.

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