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ISTANBUL: Choosing a wardrobe like an Ottoman

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  • ISTANBUL: Choosing a wardrobe like an Ottoman

    Hurriyet Daily News, Turkey
    Jan 31 2015

    Choosing a wardrobe like an Ottoman

    NIKI GAMM


    A distinction was made between what a Muslim could wear and what a
    non-Muslim could wear. In fact, the Quran and the religious traditions
    form the basis for this differentiation


    From the earliest days of Islam, a distinction was made between what
    clothing a Muslim could wear and what a non-Muslim could wear. The
    Quran and the traditions form the basis for this differentiation.

    The so-called Pact of the Caliph Omar, which may have been issued to
    protect non-Muslims in Syria after the Arab conquest, lays down a
    number of conditions that include dressing in the same way no matter
    where they were and wearing a specific belt.

    An Armenian man

    In later centuries, non-Muslims wore special emblems such as a yellow
    badge, which was later used in Medieval Europe to distinguish Jews.
    Non-Muslims also had to wear medallions around their necks when they
    went to the hamam, and unless specifically ordered to, they were
    prohibited from wearing crosses or icons on their dress.

    During the 14th century, the Ottomans followed in the footsteps of
    previous Muslim governments. The only difference was that initially
    the majority of the people over whom they ruled were Christians:

    Mostly Greeks and Armenians. Fatih Sultan Mehmed issued a decree
    relating to the worship and customs of non-Muslims some time after the
    fall of Constantinople in 1453. In it, he basically assured them that
    they could continue their lives as before; some have thought this also
    referred to freedom of dress, even though there's no mention of it in
    the document. The number of Jews in Anatolia was small until after the
    Spaniards expelled them from Spain in 1492, later followed by Portugal
    and France.

    Under these circumstances, it would have been difficult for the
    Ottomans to insist on dress codes since they, as Muslims, were the
    ones in the minority.

    Sumptuary laws

    These Ottoman laws, known as sumptuary laws, have not been seriously
    studied, unlike the serious restrictions put on dress in Western
    European countries. Nor does it seem that they were seriously
    enforced, even after they were promulgated. The latter situation was
    due in part because when a sultan died or was deposed, the laws he had
    promulgated had to be renewed by the succeeding sultan, who may or may
    not have been otherwise engaged directing military campaigns or
    solving problems created by rebellions.

    What we do know is that the laws covered what a man could wear such as
    his headgear, his outer garments - including their materials and
    lengths - and the color of his shoes. The outer garments were mostly
    dark. Christians wore colored turbans and shoes of red or yellow,
    while Jews' clothes were black or violet. A 1702 law determined that
    Jews were no longer to wear yellow slippers, but only black coverings
    on the feet and head. This may have been applicable to the Christians
    as well. Luxury items such as silks and furs were exclusively the
    prerogative of the imperial family and the highest ranking officials.

    An Armenian woman

    Women's clothing was not usually included, as they were more or less
    confined to the home; however, from the 17th century onwards the women
    in the imperial family achieved considerable power and prominence,
    which accustomed people to seeing them in the public sphere - even if
    they were veiled.

    This was helped by the freedom with which foreign women could move
    about (so long as they didn't offend Muslim sensibilities). Non-Muslim
    women who already had more freedom than their Muslim counterparts
    often emulated the foreigners, and this led in the 18th century to a
    number of prohibitions on certain kinds of public displays.

    Prosecution under the law

    On one occasion, Sultan Murad III (r. 1574-1595) ordered the execution
    of all the Jews in the empire merely because he was annoyed by the
    luxury which they displayed in their clothing. It was only after the
    intervention of Solomon Ashkenazi and other influential Jews with the
    grand vizier, seconded by the payment of a large sum of money, that
    the order was changed into a law restricting dress.

    Thereafter Jews were required to wear a kind of cap instead of a
    turban, and to refrain from using silk in making their garments.

    Sultan Murad IV (r. 1623-1640) was known for his ruthless prosecution
    of anyone who disobeyed his laws to the extent of going out at night
    in disguise to ensure obedience and mete out punishment on the spot if
    necessary. On one occasion he reportedly ran across a Christian beggar
    who was wearing yellow boots at a time when only Muslims were
    permitted to wear yellow shoes. In spite of the beggar's plea that
    he'd been given them as castoffs by a Muslim, the sultan had him
    executed anyway.

    Gibb and Bowen write the following about Sultan Murad IV's prohibition
    in their book `History of the Ottoman Empire and Modern Turkey':
    `Everyone was ordered to wear only the clothing and headgear to which
    he was entitled by virtue of his millet, rank, class, occupation, and
    the like, and subjects of all religions were ordered to obey their
    leaders as well as their laws and traditions.'

    We see that by the time Halil Hamit was appointed grand vizier from
    1782 to 1785, the sumptuary law on clothing had to be reinforced once
    again. This time, the insistence was on materials, and Hamit ordered
    that everybody only use traditional materials `rather than the Indian
    and European robes that had become the mode since the Tulip Period.'
    This actually was to revive Ottoman cloth manufacturing and reduce the
    importation of these items.

    Sultan Selim III (r. 1789-1807) also ordered that his subjects return
    to wearing traditional garb as a part of his attempts to reform the
    Ottoman Empire. Instead of modernizing, he and his advisors returned
    to the old ways. To head off dissent, the coffeehouses and taverns
    were closed, and peasants who had come to the cities because they
    could no longer make a living on the land were forced by decree to
    return to where they had come from. However, the sultan did not
    succeed in stifling dissent and ended up deposed in 1807.

    Sultan Mahmud II later ruled that clothing was no longer regulated, so
    we see the emergence of the fez instead of the turban. The Å?alvar
    became pantaloons. The robe was replaced by coats. The shirt style
    became that of the foreigner. To drive the point home, Mahmud had his
    portrait painted twice: In one he wore traditional robes, and in the
    other he wore a `Western' military uniform.


    January/31/2015
    http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/choosing-a-wardrobe-like-an-ottoman.aspx?pageID=238&nID=77672&NewsCatID=438

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