The Sacred Trust of Istanbul

How the Ottomans Became the World's Greatest Custodians of Aasaar-ul-Nabaviyyah

Category: Custodianship · Published 21 August 2026

In the Third Courtyard of Topkapi Palace in Istanbul, in chambers that once formed the sultan's private quarters, is housed the world's most extensive and best-documented collection of Aasaar-ul-Nabaviyyah: the sacred relics of the Holy Prophet Muhammad ﷺ. Known in Turkish as the Mukaddes Emanetler — the Sacred Trust — this collection represents the pinnacle of institutional custodianship in Islamic history.

The Chain of Custody: From the Companions to Istanbul

Before 1517, the blessed relics passed through a succession of custodians. The Companions رضي الله عنهم of the Holy Prophet ﷺ held individual items. The Umayyad Caliphs preserved and purchased them: Sayyidina Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan (رضي الله عنه) is reported to have paid 20,000 dirhams for the mantle of Hadrat Ka'b ibn Zuhayr رضي الله عنه. The Abbasid Caliphs kept the formal caliphal regalia in Baghdad.

In 1258 CE, the Mongol sack of Baghdad forced the surviving Abbasids to flee to Cairo, carrying the relics with them. From 1261 to 1517, the Mamluk Sultans of Egypt hosted the Abbasid shadow-caliphs and their sacred trust.

Sultan Selim I and the Pivotal Transfer (1517)

When Sultan Selim I — known as Yavuz, the Resolute — defeated the Mamluks at the battles of Marj Dabiq (1516) and Ridaniyya (1517) and entered Cairo, the last Abbasid Caliph, Mutawakkil III, formally surrendered to him the mantle of the caliphate and the relics that came with it.

By eyewitness accounts, Selim I wept when he received the relics. He kissed each item reverently, personally sealed every golden bundle, and inscribed on them:

“Hâzâ muhallefâtü Resûlillâh”

He then prayed: “O Prophet ﷺ! Intercede.” From that moment, the Ottoman sultans styled themselves Khadim al-Haramayn — Servants of the Two Holy Sanctuaries — and custodians of Islam's sacred heritage.

What the Collection Contains

The Pavilion of Sacred Relics holds over 600 items. Among the most significant, of the Holy Prophet ﷺ himself:

• ›The Holy Mantle (Hırka-i Saadet): given by the Holy Prophet ﷺ to the poet Hadrat Ka'b ibn Zuhayr رضي الله عنه
• ›A strand of blessed beard (Sakal-ı Şerif): preserved in a glass reliquary
• ›A fractured tooth (Dendan-ı Şerif): broken at the Battle of Uhud, housed in a jewelled case adorned with emeralds, rubies and sapphires
• ›The Holy Prophet's ﷺ seal (Muhr-ı Saadet): a rectangular red agate roughly one centimetre across, inscribed “Allah / Muhammad ﷺ, Messenger”
• ›The blessed sandals (Na'layn Shareef)
• ›The Holy Prophet's ﷺ sword (Zülfikâr), bow, and battle standard (Sancak-ı Şerif)
• ›A blessed footprint (Kadem-ı Şerif) preserved in stone, soil from his grave, and letters written in his ﷺ own hand to heads of state

Also preserved are relics attributed to earlier prophets عليهم السلام: the staff of Sayyidina Musa عليه السلام (122 cm long), the turban of Sayyidina Yusuf عليه السلام, the sword of Sayyidina Dawud عليه السلام, and the cooking pot of Sayyidina Ibrahim عليه السلام.

The Unbroken Quran Recitation — 500 Years Without Pause

Sultan Selim I established a tradition of ceaseless Quranic recitation in the chamber of the Holy Mantle that has continued uninterrupted for over 500 years. Today, five hāfiz rotate in 45-minute shifts during the day, and nine hāfiz maintain the recitation in two-hour shifts through the night.

The Quran has not been interrupted in this chamber since the early 16th century, one of the longest unbroken acts of communal worship in recorded Islamic history.

The Ramadan Ceremony

For centuries, the relics were displayed only to the sultan, his family, and senior court officials on the 15th night of Ramadan. The sultan reverently kissed the Holy Mantle through a piece of muslin called the Noble Kerchief. A button that had touched the mantle was then immersed in rose water to create the “Water of the Blessed Mantle,” distributed as a healing remedy to senior officials.

The chamber was opened to public viewing in 1962.

The Sacred Standard in Battle

The Sancak-ı Şerif, the Sacred Standard of the Holy Prophet ﷺ, was carried into battle as a source of barakah. Sultan Mehmed III carried it personally at the Siege of Eger in 1596 and won a decisive victory. It was brought out during periods of crisis, including Janissary mutinies in 1651, and for the last time in 1826.

Significance for Today

When Shaiekh Ahmad Al Khazraji, whose collection of private Aasaar-ul-Nabaviyyah we have written about separately, discussed the Topkapi Palace collection with Dr. Allaamah Kaukab Noorani Okarvi in 2014, he mentioned that the Topkapi Palace management had approached him for assistance. The hair relics there, he explained, had not grown over the centuries because they were stored in synthetic wax and placed upside down, against the natural direction of growth. He intended to travel there, correct the preservation, and train their custodians in the methods his collection has developed.

That detail says something profound: the tradition of living custodianship, of active care and transmitted knowledge, matters as much as the act of possession.