The ich oghlan institution in the ottoman palaceorganization

This dissertation focuses on the ich oghlans who serve in Ottoman palaces since early times. It established to meet the needs of the state's soldiers and administrators in Edirne Old Palace and Istanbul palaces. Generally, this group consisted of Christian-born young people. They was employed in Edirne Old Palace, Galata Palace, Ibrahim Pasa Palace and Iskender Celebi Palace in early times. These young people who were educated with Turkish and Islamic teachings in palaces were taken to the New Palace which was the center of state affairs after a while or were assigned to the sipahi troops. They employed in different halls in New Palace. In the Small Hall and Great Hall of the palace, the ich oghlan were usually engaged in their education and personal development, but other oghlans performed special jobs in other halls. Each room had a different task and responsibility. Falconer Hall, where the falconer was located, was responsible for the Sultan's hunting and falcons, while Campaign Hall was responsible for the cleaning of the sultan's clothes. Oghlans of Privy Larder was preparing the food and drink needs of the sultan and the Harem, and Treasury Hall's oghlans was securing the safety of the Enderûn Treasury in additon to kept records of income and expense. However, apart from these halls there was also Privy Chamber which was authorized to the private service of sultan and to preservation of sacred relics in the palace. Ich oghlans who were employed to serve to sultans in the palace worked together with white eunuchs and halberdiers with tresses in Enderun. Among these three different groups, ich oghlans came to the forefront with their reputation, skill, and visionist personality. These servants who were frequently referred in foreign sources have become a mysterious people for many years.vi This dissertation, which entitled "The Ich Oghlan Institution in the Ottoman Palace Organization", has been prepared for the purpose of revealing organizational structure, variable tasks, promotion process and different income sources. For this purpose, the group, which has been dealt with differently from the repeated rhetoric, has been examined under the condition that a servant identity by reinterpreting with its dynamic and variable institutional characteristics