Death and Life in the Ottoman Palace - (Edinburgh Studies on the Ottoman Empire) by Douglas Scott Brookes

About the Book

Delves into a royal tomb in order to expand our understanding of Ottoman palace culture

Book Synopsis

This book reveals multiple aspects of life in the Ottoman palace, in both its public space (the chancery) and private space (the royal household and the harem). It does so by exploring the Sultan Abdülhamid I Tomb in Istanbul, investigating the paths that open to us through the graves of the royalty in the mausoleum and those of the courtiers, eunuchs, concubines and female harem managers in the garden graveyard around it. The treasure of information at this graveyard allows us to piece together a wide spectrum of details that illuminate the court funerary culture of the era, from architecture and calligraphy to funerals and epitaphs to turbans and fezzes and poetry, as we come to an understanding of the role of royal cemeteries in strengthening the bonds between the reigning House and the populace and enhancing the legitimacy of the dynasty's rule.
The book first introduces the tomb complex to the reader, interpreting its architecture, art and poetry, before exploring the lives and careers of 65 of the 86 people interred here between the first burial, in 1780, and the last, in 1863. Along the way, it reveals intriguing stories - from that of Sultan Abdulhamid's daughter Zeyneb, born (against the dynasty's rules) when he was a prince and raised in secrecy outside the palace until he came to the throne, to that of Prince Murad, exhumed and reburied late one night in 1812. By exploring the history revealed through these life stories, the book sheds light on Ottoman palace life and culture in an era that witnessed the most wrenching changes of modern Ottoman history seen until then - the reforms forcibly introduced by Sultan Mahmud II after 1826 - and uncovers manifestations of these changes in this graveyard.

From the Back Cover

Sheds light on Ottoman palace life in an era that witnessed some of the most wrenching changes in Ottoman history Exploring one small building in Istanbul, the Sultan Abdülhamid I Tomb, this book reveals the culture of death and life in the Ottoman palace from 1780 to 1860. It investigates the paths that open to us through the graves of royalty in the mausoleum and of eunuchs, concubines, courtiers and female harem staff in the garden graveyard around it. Enriched by archival documents, Ottoman chronicles and gravestone inscriptions, the insights into Ottoman palace life 'buried' at this site range from architecture, poetry, calligraphy and smallpox to funeral customs, turbans and harem life. In considering why this tomb and its garden graveyard look the way they do, we come to understand the role royal cemeteries played in strengthening the bonds between the Imperial Family and the people of the Ottoman Empire. Douglas Scott Brookes teaches Ottoman Turkish language at the University of California, Berkeley, where he has also taught courses in Ottoman history and culture. His other books include On the Sultan's Service (2019) and Harem Ghosts (2016).

Review Quotes

Douglas Brookes's meticulous study zooms in on a small graveyard in Istanbul which has been the resting place for several members of the Ottoman dynasty as well as other officials of the imperial court who expired from the 1780s to 1860s. The book can rightly be regarded as a micro-history that takes this cemetery as its starting point. Readers not only learn the building's history, its architectural and physical features but in a more detailed fashion about the people buried here. The author narrates these people's lives and informs us of the circumstances in which they died, their illnesses, their pedigree. This approach brings about an unusual and gratifying peek into some of the dynamics of the Ottoman court in the later eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

--Hakan Karateke, Professor of Ottoman & Turkish Culture, Language & Literature, University of Chicago

About the Author

Douglas Scott Brookes teaches Ottoman Turkish language in the Middle Eastern Languages and Cultures Department at the University of California, Berkeley. He has also taught courses at Berkeley in Ottoman history and culture. His research interests include the culture of the Ottoman Imperial Family in general and the harem system in particular. He has led numerous educational tours through Turkey, including for the Berkeley Alumni Association. He is the author of On the Sultan's Service (Indiana University, 2019), Harem Ghosts (Markus Wiener, 2016), The Concubine, the Princess, and the Teacher (University of Texas, 2008), and The Ottoman Gentleman of the Sixteenth Century (Harvard NELC, 2003).