Nasuh al-Matraki

Ottoman polymath who revolutionized cartography and military engineering during Suleiman's reign.

Nasuh ibn Karagöz ibn Abdullah el-Bosnawi (1480–1564), known as Matrakçı Nasuh, transformed Ottoman visual culture through precision city panoramas in his Beyân-ı Menâzil-i Sefer-i Irâkeyn (1543). This illustrated itinerary of Sultan Süleyman's Iraq campaign established topographic art as military intelligence.

A Renaissance man before Europe's enlightenment, Nasuh invented matrak (a wooden combat sport), wrote arithmetic textbooks, and designed fortifications. His Umdet-ul Hisab (1533) introduced innovative calculation methods using dust boards. The Topkapi Palace preserves his vibrant miniatures of Istanbul and Baghdad.

Nasuh's bird's-eye view maps predated European counterparts by decades. His depiction of the 1535 Tabriz campaign route enabled logistical planning for Ottoman armies. Modern exhibitions like The Sultan's World (2015) at BOZAR Brussels highlighted his fusion of science and art – a unique legacy bridging Islamic and Western cartography.