Shaykh al-Islam families: Their contributions to culture and art

In Ottoman Empire, there were some particular families whose members took charge in lots of significant public authorities including specifically "ilmiyye" class. Even though there was a change on which family was dominant in time, these particular families raised many statesman for "ilmiyye" class. Many people members of a specific family served as shaykh al-Islam, kadi-ul asker, kadi and mudarris. When the occupational preferences of the people belonging to these families called also as "Shaykh al-Islam families" are examined, it is observed that almost all of them were oriented to the professions in the "ilmiyye" class and barely orientation to other fields. Statesman members of a "Shaykh al-Islam family" were not only involved in their professional works but they also perform in the field of culture and arts with the affect of their social sphere and their jobs. One of the main activities performed by these men was poetry and literature which have great importance in Ottoman Empire. Whilst sometimes this perform has been reflected in the form of real performance by themselves, sometimes it has been reflected as patronage of artists. In other words, there was a number of men in "Shaykh al-Islam family" wrote poem, arranged "divan" and made huge contribution to literature and artists as patronage wherever they worked. There is a fact that this interest and contribution to literature and arts of some "Shaykh al-Islam families" had passed down in their generations. In this study, "Shaykh al-Islam families" were examined by drawing their pedigree. Besides, these families were evaluated regarding to their members' poems and patronage roles over the poems both they wrote and presented to them.