Baku, December 7, AZERTAC On December 6, the “Sultan’s Prayer Shirts” exhibition opened at the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum. Organized by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Azerbaijan, the Baku Yunus Emre Institute, and the Azerbaijan National Carpet Museum, the exhibition features works inspired by the prayer shirts worn by Ottoman sultans. It displays 23 works reflecting the historical peculiarities of the Ottoman period, created by calligrapher and Ph.D. Mehmet Vanlıoğlu, light artist Ayşe Vanlıoğlu, and their team of 16 people.Ottoman sultans wore prayer shirts to achieve victory in wars, protect themselves from evil, as well as for healing and spiritual strength. These shirts were decorated with ayahs and prayers embroidered in thuluth, kufic, jeli, and ruq`ah scripts, along with motifs of special significance, such as the Gadam-i-Sharif, the Seal of Suleiman, and the Sword of Zulfiqar. They were designed not only for sultans and princes but also for children and other individuals, as they were perceived as guarantees of divine protection.Shirts featuring qasidas dedicated to the Prophet Muhammad and sacred texts such as Ayatul Kursi and Muavvizeteyn have survived from the Ottoman Empire to this day. These shirts are now considered part of the cultural heritage, serving as important archival documents and reference sources for the newly created collection.The exhibition, curated by Ayşe Vanlıoğlu and Dr. Mehmet Vanlıoğlu, will run until December 20.