by MICHAEL J. YBARRA
The Mogul emperor Shah Jahan sits cross-legged, in three-quarters profile, wearing a magnificent purple robe, jewels draped around his neck, a gold cloth wrapped around his head. His fine features are set off by a full beard and a slight smile. The emperor, who ruled India for 30 years and built the Taj Mahal, sits in the center of a busy painting, a constellation of supplicants swirling around him like planets orbiting a star….
…
To say that gifts were important to Islamic court rituals is an understatement. It takes two pages for a painter to show the line of presenters sent by a Persian shah to the Ottoman Sultan Selim II in 1567. The official reason for the visit was diplomatic: The shah wanted to wish the new sultan well, so he dispatched a procession of 700 ambassadors and 34 camels piled high with treasure.
But below the surface, the presentation communicated other meanings. The Persian offerings included a priceless old illustrated Koran that served to stress the dynastic and religious legitimacy of the Shiite Iranians, compared with the upstart Sunni Ottomans. The Turks, on the other hand, were the new superpower in the Mediterranean world. The Persian ambassador is painted prostrating himself before the sultan; the ambassador and his entourage are already wearing robes given to them by the Turks, a gift that underscores the submissive nature of the diplomatic mission.
LAT for more
(Thanks to reader)