the clock announced the time to all
Istanbul with a chime that resembled the sounding of a bell。
Black and Esther told me on different occasions how the clock； as well as
being the focus of endless astonishment on the part of Istanbul’s riffraff and
dull…witted mobs； was understandably a source of disfort to the pious and
to Our Sultan because it symbolized the power of the infidel。 In a time when
rumors of this sort abounded； Sultan Ahmed； the subsequent sovereign； woke
up in the middle of the night under Allah’s instigation； seized His mace and
descended from the harem to the Private Garden where He shattered the clock
and its statues to pieces。 Those who brought us the news and the rumors
explained how as Our Sultan slept； He saw the sacred face of Our Exalted
Prophet bathed in holy light and how the Apostle of God warned Him： If Our
Sultan allowed his subjects to be awed by pictures and； worse yet； by objects
that mimicked Mankind and thus peted with Allah’s creations； the
sovereign would be diverging from divine will。 They also added that Our
Sultan had taken up His mace while still dreaming。 This was more or less how
Our Sultan dictated the event to His faithful historian。 He had this book；
entitled The Quintessence of Histories； prepared by calligraphers； upon whom
He lavished purses full of gold； though He forbade its illustration by
miniaturists。
Thus withered the red rose of the joy of painting and illumination that had
bloomed for a century in Istanbul； nurtured by inspiration from the lands of
Persia。 The conflict between the meth