Siyah Qalam

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The album of Muḥammad Siyāh Qalam or Siāh-Qalam (lit. 'the Black Pen'; Persian: محمد سیاه‌ قَلَم; Turkish: Mehmed Siyah Kalem), comprises around 80 extant late 14th and early 15th century folio paintings, ink drawings (qalam-siāhi), and calligraphies, on various material, sometimes silk. The album that contains these paintings, most of which are signed as Mehmet or Muhammad Siyah Qalam, is called the Fatih. These paintings depict cultural and religious ritual norms of the time period, providing insight into the demographics of that era as well as the geography. Measuring up to 335 × 485 cm, these paintings are generally attributed to Iran and bear the strong influence of Chinese art and techniques, as well as symbols of Buddhism and Shamanism, which were both major faiths in Central Asia before the arrival of Islam. In tone and theme, the images are a high point of Persian draftsmanship and include works from the Mozaffarid, Jalāyerid and Turkmen periods. They are sometimes attributed to the notname Ustad Siyah Qalam; equivalent in English to the Master of the Black Pen. There have been conflicting opinions about whether Siyah Qalam was an individual or a group of artists. This discourse arose because the artwork was created in a non-cohesive style, with the name "Siyah Qalam" written and positioned differently on each piece. The figures depicted in the paintings span a variety of cultures: Iranian, Turkic, Chinese, Mongolic, and date to the century after the reign of Turco-Mongol conqueror Timur. Notable for their intrinsic quality, they depict diabolical imagery, everyday nomadic life in the Eurasian steppe, and contemporary culture's relationship with the dead. The album is held at the Topkapi Saray Library, Istanbul; parts of the Diez Albums of the Berlin State Library are closely related.