Treasure Mansion (Fatih Mansion-Enderun Treasure)

İlber Ortaylı

 

This pavilion, where the Treasury is exhibited today, is located at the most dominant and attractive point of Sarayburnu. A landscape stretching from Üsküdar to the Princes' Islands stretches in front of it. This mansion, which was expertly built on an unsuitable hillside, has been standing for more than five hundred years.

 

Fatih Mansion, which was completed in 1462-1463, was built according to the plan of a Turkish house with an outer sofa. It consists of four halls, a life (closed sofa) and an iwan with a covered fountain in the middle between the two halls. There is a hearth in two of the halls.

 

In the direction of the mansion facing the courtyard, there is a large portico with a flat ceiling, which rests on nine columns. Its walls are made of limestone. Door and window wings should be ornamented.

 

The chief of the Treasury Ward and the Enderun Treasure is the treasury chamber. The treasury kethüda is obliged to hand over the entire treasury down to the smallest details, while delegating the task to the next kethüda.

 

The treasure was enriched with the booty brought from both the Çaldıran and Egypt expeditions during the reign of Yavuz Sultan Selim, the grandson of Fatih. In fact, it was not possible to take all the booty into the flat, and some of the treasure was transferred to the Yedikule Cellars.

 

In accordance with the order of Yavuz Sultan Selim Han, "Whoever fills the treasury that I filled with gold with gold coins, let the treasure be sealed with the seal of the moment and always be sealed with my seal)" until the outer gate of the Enderun Treasury, the palace, until the palace becomes a museum. signed in this way. This dark jade seal was found in the treasurer's head and then in the treasure chamber. On the seal, the inscription of Sultan Selim Shah is in the middle, and around this inscription, "Tevekkeltü alâ Hâlikî / I trust only Allah." phrase was found.

 

The Enderun Treasure (Treasure-i Hümayun) was a treasure reserved for the sultan's will. The gold and silver found here were under the palace administration; It was used for public works, zoning and charity works. The taxes of Egypt are considered as the personal pocket money of the sultan. (Ceb-i Hümâyûn) The expenses of the buildings such as mosques, fountains and madrasahs built by the sultans and some of which have survived to the present day were met from this treasury. The sultan used to lend from the Enderun Treasury to the state treasury during times of tight state finances such as war, but he would never get this money back.

 

 

The sultan's clothes exhibited in the first years when the palace was used as a museum

 

The other part of the treasury was a kind of exhibition hall. In this section, artifacts of high historical value, which fell to the sultan as booty, were brought or bought by the ambassadors, were kept. Utensils of gold or silver; silk rugs and prayer rugs; precious furs, jeweled dresses and robes; There are items such as diamonds, diamonds, pearls, turquoise, rubies, emerald jewelery, crests, armlets, saddles, and belts. 

 

Apart from these, it was brought from Egypt by Yavuz Sultan Selim and Hz. The Yusufi turban, which is rumored to be the turban of Yusuf, as well as the crown of Imam-i Azam, the crown of Ibrahim Edhem, one of the greats of Islam, and the crowns and cardigans of other saints were kept in this treasury.

 

The mansion has undergone some renovations as it is used entirely for treasury works and contains invaluable works of art. During the reign of Sultan Mahmud I, another room was added, which was also called the ambassador's room because the ambassadors entrusted the valuable items they would take with them.

 

While it was customary to display the treasury during the sultans' enthronement ceremonies (the Enthronement Ceremony), some of the treasure was exhibited in the first room of the mansion during the reign of Sultan Abdülmecid. During the reign of Abdülhamid, works such as thrones, sultan's clothes, vases and weapons were exhibited in the first and second rooms. The use of the mansion as an exhibition hall in this way and the concern for the preservation of its contents brought along new renovations, some windows were closed, some porticoes were built and the original architecture of the mansion was damaged. The building resembles a warehouse rather than a mansion.

 

 

The throne and palace officials around it, which was sent as a gift to Mahmud I by Nadir Shah.

 

During the reign of Sultan Reşad, he was sent from Istanbul to Konya for the safety of the treasures in the palace due to the First World War. With the restorations made in the Republican era, the mansion was tried to be restored to its original state.

 

There are also Kilerli Ward and Hamam in the outbuildings of the Treasury. The Kilerli Ward is used as a museum administration building today and has lost a lot of its originality in the time of Fatih. The Seferli Ward was built instead of the bath located on the right side of the mansion. The iwan of the Treasury Pavilion was a favorite place of Fatih and the only place where he could rest during the period when the state was dealing with all kinds of business and troubles.

 

 

The opening of the Treasury Department during the years when it was used as an exhibition hall

 

Enderun System

 

Enderun is an establishment in itself. It is a place where non-Muslim children gathered through the devshirme system are educated in the palace and have the opportunity to rise according to their abilities. In general, these young people are reserved for the strongest, smartest and most talented of the devshirme classes.

 

Devshirme is a lifestyle. These children learn Turkish and the rules of Islam in the foreground. Those who were not taken to Enderun, especially those who were given to the janissary recruit barracks, go through a phase called "giving to the Turks" in their lives as a preparation. These are sent to the villagers in Bursa or Edirne villages close to Istanbul.

 

The knowledge of Turkish and religion that the janissary candidate learned here is very important. Instead of an outdated madrasa knowledge and piety, these children are given the Turkish used by a man of the people and its religious customs, which is very important in terms of how to assimilate.

 

The devshirme are not taken by force, as some people think, and some poor villages volunteer to give to the Ottomans, believing that their children will be saved and risen in this way. Of course, there is also the destiny to die as a soldier in the war, as well as to be the second man of the imperial administration, that is, the chief vizier... Some of the recruited children will remain as janissary soldiers, and some will be the chief viziers, such as Sokullu Mehmed Pasha and Mahmud Pasha, who hold the fate of the whole empire in their hands. Not all devshirme are peasants, sometimes the children of very important families can be taken by persuading their parents.

 

Enderun is an establishment. With the education here, the ruling class of the empire is raised. You see how young people recruited from the remote villages of the Balkans and the Caucasus, for the most part, were educated here and formed a superior class. So much so that it is not an exaggeration to say that these statesmen, who affect the environment both with their physique and stance, create an image of themselves as a state. When they went out of the palace, their walks, their speeches, their demeanor.

 

It is obvious that they received Enderun's upbringing. Every foreigner and travel writer who came to Istanbul could not help painting a parade attended by them and describing them at length. In ceremonies and ceremonies such as the Sword Regiment and Cuma Selamlık outside the palace, apart from the physical majesty that caused the Enderunites to come here anyway, their costumes and clothes, and especially the crests of the companions, called "peyk", struck not only the people around, but even the foreigners who came to the capital. 

 

In the travel books, there are very few copper print engravings of the statesmen in The Ottoman Empire ceremonies. It is not tawakke, it is famous wit; The poor Bektashi dervish, who was watching this mutant procession, looked at the sky and said: "My God, look at the servants of a sultan, and at the state of your poor servant..."

 

Exceptional musicians emerged from the Enderun people. Athletes who went down in history with their records have emerged. In the field of literature, there are those whose names are mentioned in philosophy. It should not be forgotten that the empire has trained loyal commanders to rule itself in this hearth. But first of all, the commanders who were influential in at least three centuries of Ottoman history were from Enderun. 

 

People coming out of here; He became a vizier, he was the chief of the Janissary Corps, he put his weight in the state levels and even in many civil servants; Even the sheikh al-Islam of the empire emerged among them, but they never forgot that they were the sultan's servants, the sultan's service class. They have a very good grasp of the idea of ​​the state and the integrity of the state. 

 

Just like Sokullu's nephew Mustafa Pasha became Budin Beylerbeyi... One day, he accepted the death warrant that came with the sergeant in an atlas bag. Because there is no authority other than the state that Enderun people can trust.

 

Undoubtedly, there are devshirme who do not visit Enderun, and these children, most of whom left as novices, learned religion and language alongside the villagers in the villages around Istanbul.

 

Enderun is a school that shows that the aristocracy can be revealed through education and merit, even if it is not hereditary. The title of "imperial school" is very appropriate here. The study on Enderun was almost entirely done by foreigners. Because they wanted to grasp the essence of the Ottoman administration.

 

Although the old Enderun lived within the administrative body of the 19th century Ottoman Palace, it lost its weight and tradition and took shelter on one side of the Dolmabahçe Palace. The main officials of the palace are now the military and civil servants, the empire's XIX. It comes from the modern schools established in the 19th century. Especially II. Abdülhamid had the successful graduates of the Mekteb-i Mülkiye, whose education and education level increased, transferred to the Books Office. After his state, the regimental officers in the palace guards will no longer be seen.

 

Life in Enderun

 

Enderun is an institution of upbringing in itself and it is necessary to know its history well with its many aspects facing the present. Here, people talk to each other as "you" according to their rank, it is not possible for young people to be unfamiliar even among themselves. They have to be extremely respectful to the ward officers, the heads of the ward.

 

They are in a great discipline about eating, drinking, washing, getting up and going to bed. They are under constant control day and night. Oil lamps are lit in the wards. They are not asked to contact the outside world. 

 

Due to the discipline in Enderun, an Ottoman palace protocol was formed in a very short time. More interestingly, Enderun has a female projection. It is the Harem itself. Here are some historians; They call it the Ottoman Palace Civilization, which is true. Here, some issues that those who try to tabloidize history have made up and sometimes brought to the agenda should not even be taken seriously; Common terms such as "boy of Enderun" are not valid.

 

Enderun is a place where a hard life is lived. It is the palace school; but it is not a school in the sense we understand it. The children who come here are taught the depths of Ottoman-Turkish culture and Islam by teachers. These are the people we know. As a matter of fact, Albert Bobovius, who we know as Ali Ufki Bey, is in this hearth of statesmen who rose in the musical branches of Ottoman history. Later, he wrote a work on the Enderun years. There are those who enter every branch of life and culture. Even high religious scholars have emerged.

 

When the value and merit of Enderun's students, who both look after the palace services in small and big rooms, learn good manners, and have a little knowledge of science and art, are understood, they pass to the higher level on the order of the sultan himself.

 

Aghas wake up with the morning prayer; If necessary, we go to the hammam, the morning prayer is performed in congregation at Ağalar Mosque, and then daily life begins. At the table, a careless and irregular behavior is seen alone or a response such as hitting the hand with a ladle. 

 

It is severely punished if the aghas make lame addresses, show indecent attitudes, disobey, and break the strict dress code. However, the nickname given to each other by the aghas, that is, the young students, in Enderun remains on them for life. The same custom is found in the janissary quarry. We remember the vizier and grand vizier, who bore bodily features such as "Tabaniyassi", "Boynueğri", "Semiz", or nicknames such as "Ox", "Kalaylıkoz", "Yahnikapan" that showed weakness of character. This tradition continues in Galatasaray and Mülkiye, which are modern educational institutions.

 

Expeditionary Ward

 

Promoted after the first two rooms of Enderun, Seferli Ward was built by Sultan IV in the 17th century. It emerged after Murad took the aghas in the ward to the expedition. Sultan IV. Murad, in the difficult conditions of a war, took the young people who would serve him from this department. For him, its name is Seferli Ward.

 

Since it was repaired by Sultan Mehmed Reşad, there is an inscription with Sultan Reşad's signature on the inscription at the ward gate.

 

Sultan II. Bayezid's outfit

 

In this section, the large bath, which was destroyed in the earthquake in 1509, used to meet the needs of the small and large rooms. However, the bath probably collapsed due to the incompatibility of the plumbing with the building. After this important collapse in the 16th century, a major repair was made and this building, which was abandoned as a bath in the 17th century, was allocated to the Enderun landlords. The inhabitants of this ward of the Enderun landlords are now those we call the caftan-inspired ones from the first two wards.

 

It forms the first elite group to pass the class. IV. Since Murad took this class together with the campaign, the Seferliler Ward was named as the Ward of the Enderun Aghas of Sefer. Its nature has changed and the chance of promotion of aghas has increased. Sultan Ahmed I had this ward, which was destroyed in the 16th century, completely destroyed and rebuilt. 

 

It is the section where the fabrics, caftans, sultan's and prince's dresses, which we will call the "dress-i Hümâyûn", the heirloom remaining from the sultan's bath, which was later called only the Seferliler Ward, are exhibited. In the inscription belonging to the period when it was used as a bath in the building that has survived until today, Sultan II. It is mentioned about the repairs made during the reign of Selim.

 

Seferli Ward, which has provided one level higher education compared to other wards since its establishment, was doing tasks such as washing the laundry of the Enderun people and ensuring the organization, order and cleanliness of Enderun in its first establishment years, and later on, the studies were shifted to the professional field and art. barber bred. In addition, washing and folding the sultan's laundry is the duty of those in this ward. 

 

The aghas of the Seferli Ward would also lay the prayer mat for the sultan to pray in the mosque. Palace dwarves and mutes were also trained here. The headmaster, one of the seniors of this room, used to wash the ablution towels with the turban of the sultan, called Destar-ı Hümayun, twice a week.

 

Cellar Ward

 

Adjacent to today's treasury from the beginning and built by Fatih Sultan Mehmed, the sections are Enderun's "Kilerliler" and "Treasury" wards.

 

The inner boys who were here were doing various duties while they were studying. The Kilerli Ward was the section that served both the cellar and the sultan, and there were respected courtiers who were very close to the sultan. The most important duty of the Kilerli Ward was to prepare the sultan's table. It was their duty to cook the sultan's meal, set the table, serve, clean the table and wash the dishes.

 

They prepared sherbets, syrups, pastes. Apart from this, they would meet and preserve the pantry needs of the Harem (all kinds of food and drink needs). They would also provide and light candles for the palace rooms, mosques, and the large candelabra in the Hırka-i Saadet Office.

 

When necessary, the cellars were also responsible for the preparation of medicines. There was the Hekimbaşı Room, also called the Pharmacy, outside the ward door. Medicines were made here for the sick in the wards. It was within the order of the ward that the cellars should have wudu while performing all their duties. The works under the responsibility of the Kilerliler Ward were carried out in a certain order and division of labor. Kilercibasi was the head of several hundred people who performed these duties in the palace. His duty included managing the people of Matbah-ı amire in the outer courtyard called Birun.

 

 

Gundar Agha, Peyk and Solak (Painter Brindesi) soldiers standing guard in front of the Treasury Department

 

They used to collect the April rains and present the Kilerli Ward to the sultan. The sultan would also give them tips in return for these services.

 

Inner boys were highly educated, and received additional wages under many names in addition to their quarterly salary.

 

The Kilerli Ward was a predominantly wooden structure. On the lower floor of the building were the dormitories for the inner boys, and on the upper floor, there were gold and silver trays, dinner sets, nuts, sherbet and syrups used in the sultan's table. Candles specially produced for the palace were also stored here. The ward, which became unusable in the fire of 1856, was rebuilt. Today, Topkapı Palace Museum Directorate is located here. Under the ward, there is a door leading from the Kemeraltı Hall to the fourth courtyard.

 

Treasurer's Ward

 

Because this ward is responsible for the inner treasury (Enderun Treasure) and the jewelery and valuables belonging to the palace in the Enderun courtyard, it is called the Treasurer's Ward. What remains of this building is the pavement made of black and white pebbles (podima gravel) located in front of the ward today. The chief of the ward was the chief treasurer of the palace, and his assistant was the treasurer.

 

Jeweler, muralist, swordsman, tailor, furrier, crestler, etc. ehl-i hiref (professional owners) palace craftsmen were subordinate to the chief treasurer. Their number has reached several thousand in some states and times.

When the people in the "Kilerli" and "Treasury" wards were assigned to non-palace services, that is, when they went to "Birun", they started to work with the rank of sancakbeyi.

 

While the Treasury Ward building was adjacent to the Kilerli Ward on the left and the Silahdar Ward on the right, it was demolished and rebuilt in the first half of the 19th century, and intermediate passages to the Sofa-i Hümâyûn were built. It was restored by Sultan Abdülmecid after the fire of 1856. Today, the Treasury Ward is used as an exhibition hall for the collection of Turkish-Islamic book arts and portraits of the sultan.

 

Gunman's Treasure

 

The Silahdar Treasury is located right next to the Hırka-i Saadet Office. Valuable items in the possession of the gunsmith, various weapons such as swords, shields, armor, and gray falcon belonging to the sultan, golden candlesticks belonging to the Has Oda and Sofa Kiosks, some money that the sultan used as "pocket money" and not put in the treasury, Sacred Relics that were not put in the same place, Harem-i şerif puşides, old Qur'an and very valuable manuscripts were kept here as new ones were sent. It was very important to keep the weapons clean at all times.

 

The Silahdar Treasure also has a door to Arzhane. The treasure book, whose key was in Silahdar Agha, was kept and sealed by the secret clerk and the chief treasury. The notebook was given to the sultan. It was a very important duty as the gunsmith was a duty close to the sultan. Çorlulu Ali Pasha, one of the famous pashas, ​​and Yusuf Pasha, the commander who besieged Crete, were also warlords. Today, this place is used as the exhibition hall of the Sacred Relics.