A Study on the Graves of Servants and Concubines in the Hazire of the Tomb of Mustafa III

Mustafa III (1717-1774], the son of Ahmed III and Mihrishah Amina Sultan, reigned for seventeen years. A poet, calligrapher and scholar, Mustafa III gave importance to reconstruction activities while trying to reform the state and social structure. The graves discussed within the scope of the study are located in the hazire (walled burial ground) section of the tomb of Mustafa III in the southwest of the Laleli Complex, which Architect Mehmed Tahir built by the order of Mustafa III in 1760. A total of 29 gravestones were identified in this hazire located to the southeast and northeast of the tomb. As a result of field studies, it was discovered that twenty-six of these graves belonged to women; only 11 graves belonging to palace servants and concubines were evaluated within the scope of this study. The studies were conducted by reading the inscriptions, revealing the tombstone typologies, and systematically analyzing the decorative compositions. As a result of the study, it was determined that three of the graves belonged to concubines, three to chamberlains, two to tomb keeper servants, one to a food taster, one to a kalfa (the head of the female servants) and one to an oda (odalisque). Located in the hazire of the tomb of Mustafa III, these tombstones are rare examples of how female servants and concubines in the Ottoman palace were represented after death. Although these individuals were atthe lower levels of the social hierarchy, the aesthetic and artistic intensity of their tombstones reveals the importance attributed to them. These stones are multi-layered documents that simultaneously reflect the artistic trends, religious thought structure and social roles of the period.

Journal

ART-SANAT

Year

2025

Volume

24

Pages

254-283

eISSN

2148-3582

DOI

10.26650/artsanat.2025.24.0002

WoS UID

WOS:001548121300009