The Kaside-i Hücriyye: Ancient Writings Around the Sacred Chamber

The Kaside-i Hücriyye is the name given to the tradition of poems that describe the Sacred Chamber of the Prophet — that is, the holy place where both his home and grave are located. These poems were written by great poets during the Ottoman period and inscribed on the walls, columns, and the meshes surrounding the Sacred Chamber in the Prophet's Mosque. The golden cage (mesh-i sharif) surrounding the Sacred Chamber and the walls around it have been adorned for centuries with verses from the Qur'an, hadiths, and kasidahs. These writings have been inscribed in various Ottoman calligraphic styles such as nesih, sülüs, celî sülüs, and muhakkak. It is known that poets visiting the grave of the Prophet particularly became emotional in this place, reading the kasidahs they composed here and having some of their verses inscribed around the Chamber. Ottoman sultans also supported this tradition, commissioning palace calligraphers to prepare special plaques around the Chamber. [Source: TDV Islamic Encyclopedia, "Hücre-i Saâdet" article, islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/hucre-i-saadet; "Kaside" article, islamansiklopedisi.org.tr/kaside]