For my ethnography project I studied the communication and spoken customs of the language of the Ottoman Empire. The focus of this ethnography is to learn and understand the different verbal communications and interactions of the Ottoman Empire and its people. What languages do the native people speak and write here? Are there different word uses for different genders within society? Although the Ottoman language is the key concept of this paper, society also plays a large role in defining language and its execution.

The Ottoman Empire reign currently controls a bounty of peoples that span over three continents, including Northern Africa, Southeastern Europe, and Western Asia. Covering these continents are various provinces and vassal states, or “puppet” states, including, but not limited to, Baghdad, Cyprus, Egypt, and Syria. Although the Ottoman’s have many vassal states, it seems as though most states have autonomy from the Ottoman Empire itself.

Because the Empire’s control spans over three very different continents, according to "Language and Transition: from Ottoman Empire to the Republic of Turkey" a paper presented at the annual International Studies Association meeting, the Ottoman language is actually a combination of three very different languages. These languages are: Arabic, from the Semitic writing family, according to Persian, from the Indo-European family, and Ottoman Turkish, from the Ural-Altaic family. Persian, which is strongly influenced by the Arabic language, was the official language before the Ottoman rule, because of this, the Ottoman language is filled with Arabic words, and the language is written with the Arabic alphabet. The morphology is greatly Ottoman Turkish as well as the syntax, (sentence structure is typically subject—object—verb), with a few important Persian elements. The Ottoman Empire uses and agglutinative language, meaning most words are formed by combining morphemes together. The suffixes are then used to indicate plural or singular, possession, and person.

“Where Arabic is generally spoken for religion”, states Ussama Makdisi in her research journal,“After 1860: Debating Religion, Reform, and Nationalism in the Ottoman Empire”, “Persian is the primary language for art, literature, and dealings with diplomacy, and Ottoman Turkish is used at the official level for administration of the empire.” (601-617) The three different languages form a fourth, to some extent, variation language. Within this “fourth-language” are three distinct subdivisions.

In the article "Ottoman Turkish Language" by Encyclopedia Britannica, Fasih Türkce or eloquent Turkish is described by falling below the Persian language. It is communication in its “strict” sense. Eloquent Turkish is spoken for administration, literature and poetry. Divan poetry is highlighted by Persian literature.Kasidis poetry about a God or religion, andMesnevi, pronouncedMASNAVI,represents a subtle spiritual signification. Members of the civil, military and religious elite talk and conduct all their business in this form of the language. The court system speaks mainly eloquent Turkish, but with a small number of slight variations.

Orta Türkce or middle Turkish falls below Ottoman Turkish. Middle Turkish represents language of higher classes, administration and trade. According to John Strauss in his article,“The Millets and the Ottoman Language: The Contribution of Ottoman Greeks to Ottoman Letters (19th - 20th Centuries)”,although an Ottoman might speak eloquent Turkish often, they would use a variety for different purposes. For example, a scribe, who is a high member in society, writes the Arabic asel to refer to honey when writing a document, but uses the word bal when buying at the market. For that matter, a scribe writes all documents for the Ottoman Empire in a variation of the Arabic script.

Kaba Türkce or rough Turkish falls below its own category. Most of the Ottoman society using “rough Turkish” are poor and of lower class. The less-educated and rural members of society, from my studies, generally have no knowledge, cannot read the language, and cannot write it either. Any member of the lower class hires “request writers” to speak to the government.

Problems have arisen in the Ottoman Empire regarding the written and oral language according to Paul Pitman in his research for the Library of Congress, “The rise of the Turks and the Ottoman Empire”. Because of the differences in languages, the literacy rate is extremely low (less than two percent of the total population). They have a tendency to speak the language from their home country in their own neighborhood; housing communities appear to be built of people from similar cultural backgrounds. If the neighborhood community is mainly Muslim, they will speak Arabic. This is causing problems within the society, continually bringing down the literacy and language knowledge of the total population.

The difficulties in not only spoken but also written language within the Ottoman Empire make me question whether this powerful civilization is as strong as it seems. It stands to question how the administration controls the masses. Do the people fully understand the laws and restrictions being put on them? I conclude that even though the Ottoman Empire is a powerful and dominant force, they lack a strong inner structure because of the complexity of their language. All that needs to be answered now is how long this empire will be able to stand with such weak communication before they collapse.

The Ottoman Empire was a multi-religious region consisting of Islam, Christianity and Judaism, with Islam being the most widely practiced. All three religions are monotheistic, which is the belief in one God. Each religion also has sacred texts that they abide by, which are the Koran, Bible and Torah. By the time the Ottoman Empire was established in the fourteenth century, Islamic law was fully formed. It was perhaps this inheritance of law that, by imposing legal and religious norms, did more than anything else to determine the future shape of Ottoman society (Imber, 2002, p.225).

In the Ottoman Empire, Muslims converting to another religion was strictly forbidden. Non-Muslims could not attempt to convert Muslims to their particular religion as well. What made the Ottoman Empire attractive to Jews and Christians was the “relatively unhampered freedom of religious practice and education” (Landau, 2004, p.337). However, even though Christians and Jews had the right to preserve their faiths in security, they were forced to pay a tax in order to do so (Stewart, 1969, p.45). Another tactic, that was “ruthless, but effective”, Ottoman’s adopted to absorb Christian’s into their political system was to offer Christians full Turkish citizenship if they would convert to Islam. Those who would not be converted became second-class citizens, so their new tactic led to many conversions (Price, 1956, p.39).

The Ottoman’s used slave soldiers for their armies whose loyalty was to the sultan alone. To sustain the quality of these “slave troops”, the Ottomans developed a unique institution called the devshirme, also known as the provincial slave levy or “collection” (Craig, Graham, Kagan, 2009, p.519). This institution took young Christian boys away from their families early in life to be raised as Muslims and were trained to serve both in the army and the bureaucracy. The most famous slave corps was the Janissaries, the elite infantry troops of the empire. Muslim boys were not allowed into the slave corps but their parents wanted, and sometimes tried to buy them a place in the corps because of the jobs they could attain. Until 1572, marriage was forbidden to the slave soldiers, which further ensured loyalty and prevented hereditary claims on office (Craig Graham, Kagan, 2009, p. 519). The devshirme didn’t fully disappear until the eighteenth century (Imber, 2002, p.134).


Islamic law permits slavery and slaves could be trusted and important figures in the Empire. Islamic law is also clear on who may and may not be enslaved. It forbids the enslavement of Muslims, although slaves who convert to Islam do not lose their servile status (Imber, 2002, p.130). In the Ottoman lands, slavery was based on religion rather than on skin color and on service in the imperial administration and army rather than on plantations (Stearns, Gosch, Grieshaber, 2009, p.67).

Christian religious practices and beliefs entered Islam through the conversion of Christians as well as through observation and social assimilation. Muslims were also influenced by the Christian practices of baptism and animal sacrifice, while Turkish traditions seem to have prevailed over classical Islam in areas of food and entertainment (Shaw, 1976, p.28).

Education/Child Rearing
In the 1400s and the early 1500s onward the Ottoman Empire acquired a Sunni Islamic based on the Hanafite legal school. Ottoman education was heavily influenced by the Muslim beliefs and culture. However, the Ottoman Empire consisted of both Muslims and Non-Muslims. Political issues were handled by the Muslim ruling class and cultural issues such as religion and education were left to individual religious communities. Foundations mainly supported the education system used in the Ottoman Empire, and Quranic schools provided basic education. Quranic schools were often found in mosque compounds and administered by lower Muslim clerics. As a student during this time frame ideally you were to memorize the Quran in traditional Arabic, and to then be taught religious precepts. If you were able to memorize the Quran in traditional Arabic then you had succeeded in the basic of education of that time. Ottoman education of that time didn’t require modern literacy elements such as proficiency in reading, writing, and rudimentary mathematical knowledge. There was a school, the Palace School, where practical and worldly education was provided for slaves, was not accessible to ordinary Muslims (Somel, Selcuk Aksin. Historical Dictionary of the Ottoman Empire). Modernization in education began with the increasing awareness of the Ottoman state’s need to adopt its army and administration (Somel, Selcuk Aksin. Historical Dictionary of the Ottoman Empire). To further education as a student you would basically need to choose your profession or your teacher (Encyclopedia of Western Colonialism since 1450; Jan 1, 2007. ) Later on in the Ottoman Empire when it was falling to the Turks the education went from using the Quran to using a more traditional school. However, in the beginning years the education was lacking in both quality and quantity. It was also meant more for males and not females (Heper, Metin. Historical Dictionary of Turkey).
Just an interesting fact about the Ottoman Empire: when he printing press was being invented in the 1500s Arab leaders had to suppress printers fears that the printer would tamper with religion when they were printing the Quran (D.I.Y. Instruction and Early Arabic Printing).

How did the Ottomans ever learn their rudimentary education, the basics; language, religion, dress, values, and behaviors? Their mothers. The mothers of the Ottoman Empire were the childrearers. It was their responsibility to teach the children the language, religion, dress, values, and behaviors. Women’s choice to reproduce wasn’t really a choice in the Ottoman Empire. Having children to raise to be future citizens was seen as a duty to the nation collectively rather than an individual duty. The ideal son was authoritative and dominant, and a perfect daughter was weak, naive, resigned, and passive. Both sons and daughters were required to be loyal, obedient, and never question orders. From an early age the children of the Ottoman Empire were instilled with the belief that the men were more dominant than women. The belief that men were more important than women was already being instilled at birth. Generally a son’s birth would have been celebrated while a daughter’s would not have been. After reaching puberty boys and girls were separated, and the girls generally had less freedom than boys (Journal of International Women’s Studies. Guler, Frazil). The Ottomans felt it was very important for the boys to really learn how to be a man so that is why they encouraged the authoritative and dominant behavior in their sons (Pearson, R.P., & Clark, L.E. Through Middle Eastern eyes).






The Ottoman gender roles were no different than most empires of that time. Males were seen as the dominant power, responsible for controlling the women in their families. Men were also seen as the protector of the family. Women on the other hand were seen as the caregivers for their husbands and children. (Davis 1986) They faced many social restrictions and depending on their rank in society were limited to what they were able to do.

Marriage in the Ottoman society was the most important part in a women’s life. They were arranged by the families and the women had no input on what was to be her fate. The age of 12-14 was the beginning of the adult life for a woman. They were taught how to tend to animals, weave, bake, care for children, and to be obedient to their husbands. Gender restrictions on clothing were very important in society, women were dressed head to toe in cloth coverings. Second to marriage the most important thing was child-birth. Specific ceremonies and rituals were held based on the gender of the baby. Ottoman women also faced restrictions inside an outside the home. Upper class women could enjoy activities inside the home such as; games, music, and dance. Lower class women, most whom were slaves, did not have this luxury. (Tucker 1998) Many of them became harems, also known as being the sultan/rulers wives. Basically used as the sex objects of the society, however unlike other empires these women were not treated as bad, but still received little to no respect from the upper class women in society. If a woman was ever invited to dinner they were not allowed to sit at the same table as men


Men in the Ottoman society took on more roles than women. They were looked at as the protector of the family therefore they had to do much more work than a woman. Those who were considered educated in that time took on the role of being the doctor, lawyer, or judge. Then we had the men who fought for the Ottoman Empire, military personnel. Other roles consisted of merchants, artisans, and tax collectors. The lower class men whose dedication was to their families became the farmers and herders of the empire. Some men had the ability to choose, while other may have been taken away from their family at a young age to become an Ottoman soldier.

ArtHistoryCore ValuesRitualPosterRules

The Ottomans were cultivators. A cultivator is just a word used to say that the farmers aerate and stir the soil before planting. Most of these cultivators were subsistence farmers (Quataert, 130). A large majority of the farmers were Greek. These farmers owned small plots of land. During the 15th and 16th centuries farms had many sizes all depending on condition of the soil. For good soil the average farm was 15-20 acres, for okay soil the average was from 20-25 acres, and for poor soil the average size was 25-40 (Agoston, 19-21). Since farmers and their families owned these acres they all lived on the land. Also most of farmers were lower class men.

Farms grew a variety of crops such as cereals, fruits, olives, and vegetables. Wheat was the main crop and consisted of half the agricultural output. Most of the Ottomans agriculture was manual labor (Coles,123). Many peasants and their families had to tend to the crops by hand themselves. A few families had ox or water buffalo to plow land. The Ottomans had very limited technologies, they were outdated compared to most of Europe (Coles, 124). The farmers worked depending on their crop cycles. Many crop farmers were also animal farmers. Milk, wool, and hair were what they raised animals for (Baram). Most of the manual labor was done by the males, where as the simpler tasks such as seeding was done by the women and children.

Many families had meager budgets that forced them to have a very modest diet. Their diets consisted of yogurt, bread, porridge, and vegetables. Meat was considered a luxury. For the general population of the Ottoman Empire food was bland, spices and foods with the richest flavors were reserved for the rich.

When Sultan Mehmet the Second was in power the Culinary Arts were becoming an important way of life. Ironically the cuisine of the Ottomans vastly improved during the 18th and 19th century as the empire itself was declining (Saip). Ottoman food was an eclectic mix of different cuisines from all of the surrounding areas. As the empire expanded to different regions, that regions food was added to their cuisine as well. Arab, Persian, Chinese, and Mediterranean cuisine were all infused into Ottoman food. The ottomans exchanged many goods and spices. Some of the spices they exchanged were saffron, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, mace, pepper, salt, and sugar. Some of the food they traded was wheat, barley, millet, raisins, olive oil, oranges, lemons, rhubarb, wines (malmsey, madeira). Being able to have such a variety of crops and goods allowed them to trade easily.

The ottomans went through occasional famines that were followed by epidemics of disease. The famines caused social disorder. In order to try and bring peace back to the peasant farmers surplus had to be directed into town markets. However, instead of the peasant farmers making money off of their surplus, the government officials did instead (Inan). This created a lot of animosity towards their government. However the farmers never took any action in trying to get the money back from their surplus.

The Ottoman Empire as of the year 1450, It is placed on a part of land that has high seismic activity. This means that they have earthquakes and erosions which cause many dangers to the Ottoman Empire. The Mediterranean region has narrow coastal plains and is separated from the Anatolian plateau by the Taurus Mountains. These mountains reach to 2,000 to 2,750 meters which is 6,600 to 9,000ft. There is also fertile soil for growing fruits such as grapes, figs and bananas.
The Ottoman Empire is located in Eastern Mediterranean where the weather all around has cold, wet winters and dry, hot summers. It can get to as cold as -13F and as hot as 105F. They have longer summers and shorter winters which help for growing crops.
During the Ottoman rule, Syria continued to attract European traders. For centuries they had transported spices, fruits, and textiles such as barley, maize, wheat, sesame, grapes, sandmaize, cotton, walnut and tobacco. Some flora in the Eastern Mediterranean was easily accepted only due to their diet and if they were similar to the other plants already known in the area. Maize plant does not resemble other grains but because of the preparation and the use of the combination with other ground cereals, they kept it for the poor. The squash bore, also known as zucchini, chili pepper and the tomato also were some flora.



Trade
Although officially the Ottoman Empire had no trade with anyone outside the Empire, the reality is quite different. Caravans left and arrived in Istanbul on a daily basis and there are numerous records of merchant ships moving between English and Ottoman ports. Shipping by boat between England and the Ottoman Empire was at a standstill only between 1550 to 1573, due to generally unfavorable economic conditions. During this time walking caravan trade made up for the shortages.
When selecting items for trade there were many considerations. The ease of moving the items, what kind of duty and customs charges might be incurred, the possibility of a city sequestering your items Ultimately the most important consideration was not the volume of trade, but the ultimate rate of profit. It was safer and easier to transport luxury goods and "royal merchandise" than to transport high demand items such as grain, which might leave the caravan open to raids or sequestration by a starving populace. Caravans were occasionally hired to transport gold from one country to another, with couriers carrying up to 5,000 crowns sewn into their clothes.

They traded many different goods between Levant and England.

From the Levant (Turkey):
Spices: saffron, cumin, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, mace, pepper, salt, and sugar.
Drugs: opium, balm of mithridate, arsenic, benjamin (the balsamic resin, benzion), mirobolani (an astringent plum-like fruit), and perfumes.
Textiles: silk (green, blue, red), crimson damask, crimson velvet, camlets, cotton, linens, carpets.
Foods: wheat, barley, millet, raisins, olive oil, oranges, lemons, rhubarb, wines (malmsey, madeira).
Dyes: Cochineal (red), indigo (blue).
Luxuries: gold dust, slaves, copper, quicksilver, coral, Chinese porcelain, Lemnian earth, precious stones, pearls, frankincense, sandalwood, alum, gum arabic, glass trinkets, mirrors, wallpaper, furs. From England:
Foods: grain, oatmeal, soda, pickled herring, cod and salmon, dried fish.
Textiles: woolen cloth, 'kersies of divers colours', caps.
Luxuries: silver coins, amber, paper, various trinkets, beaten sheets of tin and copper.
Handled mostly by merchant ship was contraband munitions and armaments, iron, steel, bronze, tin, copper, "cole of Newcastle", powder for cannon and arquebus, saltpetre, balls of iron for shot, coarse canvas, fine millstones, and trees



Coinage

Below is a list of the coinage in common use in the Ottoman Empire. All figures are approximate and date between 1540 - 1585.

Asper(Turkish, small silver coin, more square than round. Pronounced Ak-che)
Maidin(Arabic, similar to asper but of finer silver)
Reale(Spanish, silver ) = 6 aspers or 4 maidins
Thaler(Turkish, large silver) = 40 aspers
Crown(English, gold) = 50 aspers or 35 maidins
Escudo(Spanish, gold 'pieces of eight') = 50 aspers, 35 maidins, 8 reales, 1 crown
Ducat(Hungarian, Venetian, etc. silver coin) = 60 aspers or 40 maidins
Sequin or Sultanin(Turkish, large gold coin) = 60 aspers or 40 maidins

The Ottoman Empire was an Islamic state with a stratified society under a single Sultan and operating under a millet system. The Ottoman Empire consisted of highly diverse populations incorporated into a large state. There was a high degree of toleration that allowed the empire to flow smoothly and many areas were only required to pay taxes.
Millet System
Major religious groups were allowed to form their own communities and keep their own cultures, languages, and religious laws under millets. (Braude) The millet system was first established under Muhammad’s Medinan years (622-632). It was originated to deal with the problem of dissenting minorities but turned into a policy of tolerance that lasted through most of the Ottoman Empires existence. Millet means religiously defined people. The Ottoman Empire was an Islamic state and as such the millet system was created to govern its large ethnic makeup. Religious leaders, such as a Rabbi or Patriarch, would act as an administrative officer. Further assimilation gradually occurred as minorities were integrated into all levels of the bureaucratic state.
Social Classes
The Ottoman Empire had a monarchal political structure with a Sultan acting as the head of state. Society fell into two distinct divisions, the ruler, along with the administrators and governors, and the tax payers. (Imber) There were four classes: “men of the pen” consisting of lawyers, scientists, etc., “men of the sword” mainly soldiers, “men of negotiation” being merchants, tax collectors, etc., and “men of husbandry” were all others like farmers. (Inalick) Between some classes movement was easy, however, others, such as entering into a military or bureaucratic placement, required special permission from the sultan.
Kinship and Descent
Descent was patrilineal where property and membership is passed through the men and belongs to family units. Kinship organizations were similar to social organizations in that class, clan, religion, age, and lineage were considered. Inheritance could only be passed through men, however, freedom passed through the father to all children.(Kaser) Family units were centered around the man who could have as many partners as he wished and all male children were able to receive inheritance so long as they were recognized by the father. (Liljestrad)



As of 1450, the Ottoman Empire was one with great power. According to Rhoads Murphey in his book, “Exploring Ottoman Sovereignty,” the Ottoman dynasty was able to confidently proclaim itself that empire spanning two seas and two continents. During the 1450s, the empire experienced a period of expansion. At the forefront of this great dynasty was the Sultan. His role was to be the primary ruler of the nation. According to Richard Hooker, a sultan’s primary focus as a leader was to ensure that all citizens of the land were treated justly, so the Sultan did his best to make sure his actions reflected that commitment. Hooker further explains that even though the Sultan was viewed as responsible for all of the happenings within the Ottoman government, the empire’s government was actually operated through a bureaucracy with the Diwan acting as the sultan’s cabinet. At the head of the Divan was the Grand Vizier (Hooker).

The Sultan’s commitment to justice was reflected in the government’s efforts to protect and serve all citizens. Government officials paid a great deal of attention to public opinion. According to Murphey, the inclusion of the Friday Salutation played a large role in helping the Ottoman government rule by consensus (11). Friday Salutations were simply Friday prayers in which citizens could express sentiments about the ruler. This allowed officials to gauge whether citizens were pleased with their ruler or not (Hooker). Another way that the Sultan showed his commitment to justice was through his punishment of government officials that abused their power. In his book, “Crime and Punishment in Islamic Law: Theory and Practice from the Sixteenth Century to the Twenty-first Century,” Rudolph Peters states that siyasa punishment can be enforced upon any official whose actions put public order at risk (68). Peters further states that in the Ottoman Empire, siyasa punishment usually meant severe corporal punishment or the death penalty (68). It’s obvious to see that the Ottoman government was all about justice, not corruption.

The process of the passing on the Sultanate in Ottoman Empire is extremely fascinating. In the early history of the empire, it is easy to see that the crown was passed from father to the eldest son. One of the biggest issues regarding succession of the throne, as was the case with many dynasties, was the struggle for power between the potentials heirs to the throne. In the Ottoman Empire it was not uncommon for brothers of the new Sultan and other rivals of the throne to be executed (Murphey 103). According to Donald Quataert, this was done to promote an order and stability. This practice is referred to as fratricide (Quataert 91). The word fratricide comes the Latin word frater, which means brother, and cide, which means to kill. In 21st America, this practice sounds quite barbaric, but one must understand what was at stake for the potential rulers of the Ottoman Empire. During the 1450s, the Sultan was supreme ruler of a powerful empire that was in a great period of expansion. In a society where the Sultan’s execution of his brothers was not frowned upon, the decision to do so would be an easy one if it were deemed necessary. It is safe to assume that this practice of elimination was only enforced if the new Sultan felt that his position of power was being threatened.







Until the Byzantine Empire was seized by the Ottomans in 1453, artwork was merely brushing the surface of what was to come. Ottoman artwork developed from the Mongouls of China and Iran, the religious aspect from Iran. The flawlessness of Ottoman art rests in balance of color, geometric arrangements and designs, and focused on local tradition (Honour 2005: 335).

The art of building and plans of elaborate mosques were in effect for the pleasing of the Sultans in the 9th century. Major changes took place with the founding of the new capital. After the defeat, Hagia Sophia, the great Byzantine church, was changed into a grand mosque in 1453 and developed into a form of motivation for Ottoman architects (Arts). Features such as the four minarets, (the tall columns with onion shaped cones) used for call to prayer, and mihrab (arched doorways) which signify which way Muslims face during prayer were added after the conquest. (Hall 2008: 165)



Architecture focused on the aspects of inward disposition and reflections of human life, which is typical of the era (Honour 2005: 335). It is believed that artwork spread from the Persian School of Architecture during the conquest (Encyclopedia 753-755). Structure of domes became so complex with Asian and Indian influences, that they could not be improved or simplified any further (Grabar 2006: 354) and have the prime meaning “Allah is eternity” (Honour 2005: 335). This is an important philosophical matter, because the Ottoman architecture has somehow escaped history (Grabar 2006: 354).



The art of embroidery most likely traveled west with the nomads of Turkey. It was routinely used; the military equipment of the Ottoman soldiers included tents, saddles and holsters embroidered with elegant designs or battle scenes, and cases for the Koran consisted of floral colors enhanced with silver and gold. For the Court of the Ottoman, silk and velvet were used during ceremonial functions, usually using gold or silver thread on purple velvet. Other everyday items viewed as artwork were as simple as towels. (Arts)


Of the Ottoman art, calligraphy was significant. Routine objects such as tax reports and property deeds happened to be fine works of art. This fittingly mirrors the bureaucratic character of the empire, which focused on writing and recording.



Another form of art were Turkish miniatures, or paintings covering important events of the day incorporating Chinese art influences. Sultans who owned Turkish miniatures kept their paintings to themselves, to prevent religious ardor of the community. Painters were separated into two groups: individuals who painted murals and flowers, and the non-Muslims who painted portraits and war-scenes. Turkish miniatures are not as famed as Persian miniatures, while they are more meaningful, because of stronger hues and much more detail (Arts).


One of the highest achievements of art in the Ottoman Empire was Turkish Miniatures. In the following YouTube video, an animated Turkish miniature depicts the downfall of the Byzantine Empire, the hierarchy of the Sultans, and various religious rituals through Ottoman paintings. Miniature artists abstracted everything for a purpose of infinite realism (Hall 2008: 165).




The classical music of the Ottoman Empire has made a lasting impression on the area and is still popular in Turkey today. The Ottoman Empire music consisted of around thirty instruments. The musicians of the Ottoman court used instruments such as the reed flute, long necked flute and the western fiddle. Ottoman classical music developed in palaces, mosques, and Mevlevi lodges of the Ottoman Empire. Above all a vocal music, Classical Music traditionally accompanies a solo singer with a small instrumental ensemble. Sometimes described as monophonic music, the variety of ornamentation and variation in the ensemble requires the more accurate term heterophonic (The Classical Age). "Music in the Ottoman Empire brought together musical elements found in the different nations of the empire. An individual person rather than a choir or ensemble usually performed Ottoman music"(Kincross).
“These characteristics can be listed as a personal style and expressive music that is based on pentatonic scale in North and East Asia, heptatonic scale in South and West Asia, having tone scales that generally descend from the high pitch to the low pitch; played by only one person (ozan, i.e. minstrel) in its historical origin, may be without any rhythm, but certainly following a makam; relying largely on human voice and using the rhythm and melody elements of the music only, and finally a music that has been transmitted across generations through meşk (transmission of knowledge through master-disciple relationship), and not through notation as in the Western music”(The Ottoman Music). "Rhythm in the music was optional, however, there was always a makam, a melody. Ottoman music relies primarily on human voice. Rather than being written down"(Osmans).
It is an old custom of the Ottoman Empire that the palace does not only govern militarily and administratively, but serves also as a center for the intellectual and artistic life.




Core Values of the Ottoman Empire Some of the main core values of the Ottoman Empire included military valor and the uses of wealth. The military of the Ottoman Empire was divided into three organizations structures. Those three structures consisted of the Army, Navy, and the Air Force. At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Ottoman Empire was the most influential state in the world in wealth and military capability. However, the personal style of government, educated among the earlier Sultans had gone away completely. According to Richard Hooker, he stated, “in place of Sultanic government, the bureaucracy basically ran the show. Power struggles among the different elements of the bureaucracy: the grand vizier, supreme court, and especially the military, the Janissaries, that led to continued shifting of government power.” (Hooker) Islamic historians point out that the expansion of bureaucratic power and the indifference of the Sultans that led to a shady and greedy local government. They also battered popular support. Western historians point to internal decline in the bureaucracy along with increased military efficiency of European powers as the principle reason for the decline of the Empire. However it may be, the decline of the Ottomans was a staggered affair lasting over two centuries. The Empire itself would exist until World War I, at which point it was finally erased from the maps by European powers. “The core ideology of the Ottomans included to serve religion (Islam), serve the state (Ottoman dynasty), and to follow the Ottoman way. When stated, “the Ottoman way” that includes language, manners, and cultural values of the ruler elite.” (E.J. Brill-Leiden) In addition, some of the core institutions of the Ottoman state were Askeri and re’aya, Askeri class, and re’aya. According to E.J. Brill-Leiden, the Askeri and re’aya included the servants of the government verse the subjects that were Muslim and Non-Muslim. Also, the Askeri class included soldiers, bureaucrafts, religious officials that were qadis, mufts, and medrease professors. I have several personal core values. Some of those values are happiness, family, hard work, and individualism. These values are connected to other aspects to my culture. These relate to the barrel model of culture. The superstructure includes individualism and happiness. The social structure includes hard work and family. These four values are very important to me and will remain important throughout my life. I come from a strong support system and have a very close relationship with my family member, which brings me happiness. My parents have always taught me to work my hardest and don’t expect any less. Also, I have always been a independent individual and realize that being a leader, not a follower is best. In conclusion, the core values of the Ottoman Empire are obviously different from today’s values. They have changed over the years due to time and culture change. In addition, I’m sure my personal core changes will change over the years as well.
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