Relief Portrait of Suleiman the Magnificent at the US Capitol

I chose the Ogier Ghiselin de Busbecq book to read over spring break, and the Ottoman Sultan Suleiman/Soleiman is a central figure in de Busbecq’s letters. The architects of the Capitol also paid homage to Suleiman as one of the “great lawgivers” of history, and included his marble relief portrait on the US House Chamber Doors. There are 23 total portraits including Hammurabi, Thomas Jefferson, Lycurgus, Moses, and another figure from the class — Maimonides.