A Brief Introduction to Ottoman History
A Brief Introduction to Ottoman History
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The Ottoman Empire peaked in the mid-16th century, when it stretched from its center in Anatolia to the far reaches of the Balkans, North Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula. Muslim Turkish sultans ruled over a vast diversity of Christians, Muslims, and Jews and a wide array of different cultures.
Being at the center of Europe, Africa, and Asia, the Ottomans were important players in the global spice trade. In addition to having access to goods from around the world, they produced an array of agricultural products, textiles, pottery, and other fine goods. Their economic system was based on obtaining a better standard of living by providing these necessary commodities to the population.
Society was split between askeri, those who worked for the sultan, and the reaya: urban merchants, artisans, and rural peasants. These positions were fluid but mixing of social classes was generally frowned upon.
This changed when one new commodity appeared in Istanbul that would eventually spread to every corner of the empire. Coffee, an unassuming plant from the Ethiopian highlands, quickly spread and became a mainstay of Ottoman life. Coffeehouses popped up in every urban neighborhood and rural village, and coffee became a core part of social rituals in and out of the home.
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Artifacts from the Ottoman Empire
Artifacts from the Ottoman Empire
Studying objects from the past is a key part of studies in material culture and consumerism. Click through the slides below to learn about Ottoman culture through the things they used and art they created.
Sources for images:
Yastik Cushion Cover, ca. 1600. Mr and Mrs. Isaac D. Fletcher Collection, Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/446950
Floor spread (sofra) with Design of Tulips and Pomegranates, ca. 1600s. Saint Louis Art Museum. https://www.slam.org/collection/objects/547/
Sultan Murad III in his Library, 1582. Harvard Art Museums, The Edwin Binney 3rd Collection of Turkish Art. https://harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/215652?position=14&context=exhibition&id=2589
Coffee House Scene (Recto) and Persian Calligraphy (Verso), Folio from an Ottoman Album, ca. 1620. The Chester Beatty Library.
https://viewer.cbl.ie/viewer/image/T_439_9/1/
Ewer with ‘Tughra-Illuminator’ Style Decoration, ca. 1525-40. Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/451834
Plate Depicting a Woman Playing Tambourine, ca. 1600. Metropolitan Museum of Art. https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/451943
Dish with Saz Spray Decoration, ca. 1540-1550. Harvard Art Museums, The Stuart Cary Welch Collection. https://harvardartmuseums.org/collections/object/190789?position=46&context=exhibition&id=2589
Coffee cups and Brazier, coffee pot, and coffee cup sleeve. Pera Museum, Suna and Inan Kirac Foundation Kutahya Tiles and Ceramics Collection. https://www.peramuseum.org/collection/kutahya-tiles-and-ceramics-collection/17
An impressive diamond and ruby-set gold Coffee Cup Holder (zarf) made for the Ottoman court probably Turkey, 19th Century. Bonhams. https://www.bonhams.com/auctions/11380/lot/22/
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