Perception of the West in Ottoman sefaretnames (From the beginning of the XVIII. century to the first quarter of the XIX. century)

The Ottoman Empire established diplomatic relations with the outside world through various means. One of these means was ambassadors. The Ottoman Empire, due to its situation, which is due to its military superiority over Europe, sent its ambassadors to a country for the purpose of declaring a war or making peace until the XVIIIth century. The Ottoman Empire, which prefers a unilateral diplomatic relationship, has adopted the Ad Hoc (temporary) diplomatic method. The territorial losses that occurred after the Treaty of Karlowitz in 1699, the agreements made, and the current conjuncture obliged the Ottoman Empire to a new diplomatic process. Yirmisekiz Çelebi Mehmed Efendi, who was sent to Europe as required by the Treaty of Passarowitz in 1718, became one of the most important early sources of Westernization with his Sefaretname. The diplomatic process that began with Mehmed Efendi, who was sent as a temporary ambassador to Paris, continued with the sending of ambassadors to capitals such as Paris, Vienna, Berlin, and Stockholm. Temporary and later permanent ambassadors sent to various European capitals wrote Sefaretnames containing important information about the administrative, military, economic, and social structures of the countries they were in. These works contain significant observations and information proportional to the expertise and knowledge of the ambassadors. The perception of the West reflected in sefaretnames will be considered chronologically in accordance with the analysis of 15 the sefaretnames. In this way, the role of the Ottoman Empire in the process of change, as observed through the sefaretnames can be considered. This study investigates how the West is perceived through the perspective of ambassadors in the sefaretnames, and examines the changes and variations based on this perception. Although the thoughts and perceptions of ambassadors regarding the countries they were sent to may have changed over time, their views that these countries were potential "enemies" remained constant. Therefore, customs, traditions, abstract and scientific developments, as well as tangible objects such as buildings and gardens, which were deemed significant by ambassadors, left important impressions on their minds. In the perception held by ambassadors, while their personal thoughts and opinions are reflected, the diplomacy and politics of their own states may also be observed. From the beginning of the XVIIIth century to the first quarter of the XIXth century, the European countries where ambassadors were stationed were perceived by them as the "paradise of infidels" and the "hell of Muslims", and in this perception limited by the Islamic identity, terms such as "infidel", "infidel land", "the land of Franks" emerged as manifestations of both their official and personal perceptions.