The Ottoman Bazaar Through the Eyes of Western Travelers and Poets of the Classical Period

Gülçin Tanrıbuyurdu

Makale detayları

The Ottoman Bazaar Through the Eyes of Western Travelers and Poets of the Classical Period

Yazarlar:

Gülçin Tanrıbuyurdu

Yayıncı:

Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar:

Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı (Diğer)

Dergi:

Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı Dergisi Vol.65 Issue 1, pp.145-162

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

2/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001358883

pISSN:

1015-2091

Anahtar kelimeler:

Özet:

 Public spheres, which play a significant role in the formation of urban culture and daily life, are places where people from all walks of life come together and socialize. Among these public spheres, bazaars stand out as vibrant centers of social integration and commerce  long regarded as a backbone of the Ottoman Empire. These bazaars represent a space where nearly every aspect of urban culture and Ottoman social life intersect. Not only did they serve the needs and expectations of society, but they also posed as venues for discussions of various public matters, from trade to politics. Due to the Ottoman Empires strategic position on rich and dynamic trade routes, bazaars became vital hubs for the empires production and consumption activities. Dominated by a wide array of tradesmen, artisans, and merchants, these bazaars represented a complex yet cohesive system. This study explores the Ottoman bazaar as a space of encounter and social integration - accessible to all segments of society- through the accounts of Western travelers and classical period Ottoman poets, whose witness offer key insights into Ottoman social life. The records of travelers and poets regarding the Bedesten and Grand Bazaar in İstanbul, the capital of the empire, are analyzed under themes such as the physical structure of the bazaar, the bustle of the bazaar, the tradespeople in the bazaar, the goods sold there, and the maintenance of order in the bazaar. The presented data highlights the contributions of social history and literature to the evaluation of Ottoman social life and the relationship between literature and society through the parallels found in the observations of travelers and period poets regarding the bazaar.

 Public spheres, which play a significant role in the formation of urban culture and daily life, are places where people from all walks of life come together and socialize. Among these public spheres, bazaars stand out as vibrant centers of social integration and commerce  long regarded as a backbone of the Ottoman Empire. These bazaars represent a space where nearly every aspect of urban culture and Ottoman social life intersect. Not only did they serve the needs and expectations of society, but they also posed as venues for discussions of various public matters, from trade to politics. Due to the Ottoman Empires strategic position on rich and dynamic trade routes, bazaars became vital hubs for the empires production and consumption activities. Dominated by a wide array of tradesmen, artisans, and merchants, these bazaars represented a complex yet cohesive system. This study explores the Ottoman bazaar as a space of encounter and social integration - accessible to all segments of society- through the accounts of Western travelers and classical period Ottoman poets, whose witness offer key insights into Ottoman social life. The records of travelers and poets regarding the Bedesten and Grand Bazaar in İstanbul, the capital of the empire, are analyzed under themes such as the physical structure of the bazaar, the bustle of the bazaar, the tradespeople in the bazaar, the goods sold there, and the maintenance of order in the bazaar. The presented data highlights the contributions of social history and literature to the evaluation of Ottoman social life and the relationship between literature and society through the parallels found in the observations of travelers and period poets regarding the bazaar.

 Public spheres, which play a significant role in the formation of urban culture and daily life, are places where people from all walks of life come together and socialize. Among these public spheres, bazaars stand out as vibrant centers of social integration and commerce  long regarded as a backbone of the Ottoman Empire. These bazaars represent a space where nearly every aspect of urban culture and Ottoman social life intersect. Not only did they serve the needs and expectations of society, but they also posed as venues for discussions of various public matters, from trade to politics. Due to the Ottoman Empires strategic position on rich and dynamic trade routes, bazaars became vital hubs for the empires production and consumption activities. Dominated by a wide array of tradesmen, artisans, and merchants, these bazaars represented a complex yet cohesive system. This study explores the Ottoman bazaar as a space of encounter and social integration - accessible to all segments of society- through the accounts of Western travelers and classical period Ottoman poets, whose witness offer key insights into Ottoman social life. The records of travelers and poets regarding the Bedesten and Grand Bazaar in İstanbul, the capital of the empire, are analyzed under themes such as the physical structure of the bazaar, the bustle of the bazaar, the tradespeople in the bazaar, the goods sold there, and the maintenance of order in the bazaar. The presented data highlights the contributions of social history and literature to the evaluation of Ottoman social life and the relationship between literature and society through the parallels found in the observations of travelers and period poets regarding the bazaar.

 Kent kültürünün ve gündelik hayatın oluşumunda önemli rol üstlenen kamusal alanlar, aynı zamanda toplumun her kesiminden insanın bir arada bulunduğu ve sosyalleştiği yerlerdir. Osmanlının hayat damarı olarak adlandırılan ve bir toplumsal kaynaşma mekânı olan çarşılar da bu kamusal alanlardan biri olarak kent kültürü ve Osmanlı sosyal yaşamına dair hemen her şeyin iç içe geçtiği, toplumun ihtiyaç ve beklentilerini karşılayan, ayrıca ticaretten siyasete pek çok meselenin görüşülüp tartışıldığı alanlardır. Osmanlının zengin ve hareketli ticaret yolları üzerindeki konumu sebebiyle İmparatorluktaki üretim ve tüketim faaliyetlerinin atar damarı olan çarşılar; türlü esnaf, zanaatkâr ve tüccarın başrolünde olduğu karmaşık ancak kendi içinde bütünlüklü bir yapıyı temsil etmektedir. Bu çalışmada, Osmanlı sosyal yaşamına kaynaklık eden Batılı seyyahlar ve klasik dönem şairlerinin tanıklığında, kent kültürü ve sosyal yaşantıya paralel olarak toplumun her kesimine açık ve dolayısıyla bir karşılaşma ve kaynaşma mekânı olan çarşı söz konusu edilmiştir. Seyyahların ve şairlerin imparatorluğun başkenti İstanbuldaki Bedesten ve Kapalıçarşıya dair kayıtları; çarşının fizikî yapısı, çarşının hengâmesi, çarşı esnafı, çarşıda satılan ürünler, çarşıda asayiş şeklindeki başlıklar altında ele alınmıştır. Seyyahların ve dönem şairlerinin çarşıya dair gözlemlerinin paralelliği üzerinden sunulan veriler, sosyal tarih ve edebiyat metinlerinin Osmanlı sosyal yaşamını ve edebiyat-toplum ilişkisini değerlendirmeye olan katkılarını ortaya koymaktadır.

Makale detayları

The Ottoman Bazaar Through the Eyes of Western Travelers and Poets of the Classical Period

Yazarlar:

Gülçin Tanrıbuyurdu

Yayıncı:

Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar:

Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı (Diğer)

Dergi:

Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı Dergisi Vol.65 Issue 1, pp.145-162

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

2/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001358883

pISSN:

1015-2091

Urban culture

Public sphere

Ottoman bazaar

Western travelers

Ottoman poetsKent kültürü

Kamusal alan

Osmanlı çarşısı

Batılı seyyahlar

Osmanlı şairleri

Sayı

Makale detayları

Yazarlar: Gülçin Tanrıbuyurdu

Yayıncı: Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar: Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı (Diğer)

Dergi: Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı Dergisi Vol.65 Issue 1, pp.145-162

Belge Tipi: Makale

Yayın Tarihi: 2/2025

Belge Dili: Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.): 2001358883

pISSN: 1015-2091

Sayı

Yazarlar:

Gülçin Tanrıbuyurdu

Yayıncı:

Istanbul University

Ana Başlıklar:

Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı (Diğer)

Dergi:

Türk Dili ve Edebiyatı Dergisi Vol.65 Issue 1, pp.145-162

Belge Tipi:

Makale

Yayın Tarihi:

2/2025

Belge Dili:

Türkçe

Document ID (Org No.):

2001358883

pISSN:

1015-2091