Ottomans lived in an ego-centric world in which they believed they were the centre of the world living in Imperial İstanbul. The breaking point was the visit of a group of Ottoman delegates to the French court in 1720. The leading delegate was Yirmisekiz Mehmet Çelebi who stayed in France for 11 months up until 1721.
Yedisekiz Mehmet Çelebi
Arrival of the Ottoman delegations at Tuileries
The Ottomans delegates in front of the child King Louis XV
Yedisekiz Mehmet Çelebi shared all his experiences in the French Court when he got back to İstanbul telling the Sultan of all the. practises of a foreign country.
What is even more interesting is that his observations and reports prepared for the Ottoman Court is still well and alive today. İşbank Publishing Company has published this Ottoman delegate’s observations in the 18th century. The book is a delight to read due to Yedisekiz Mehmet Çelebi’s humorous style in which he talks about the culture shock of both parties. Think that it was the first time the Ottomans had seen an opera and court ladies sitting side by side males which was a shock to Ottomans who lived in a segregated world where women were completely isolated from male gaze. On the other hand, court ladies in France were shocked to see the costumes of Ottoman men with caftans and turbans and insisted on watching them when they were breaking their fast and even when they were praying. The book is also a humorous testimony of the scandals the Ottomans caused in the French court when they saw the child King.
The book has not been translated into English but I hope that it will be soon as it is quite remarkable to see how cultures meeting one another for the first time can be both amusing as well as challenging for both parties!
The visit of the Ottomans to the French Court transformed both parties as observations of Yedisekiz Mehmet Çelebi led to adoption of many novelties such as the printing press, interest in astronomy, perfumes, mirrors and architectural innovations. Maybe the most important of these influences was the establishment of the printing press. Sultan Ahmet III issued a royal decree in 1727 for the printing press to be established in İstanbul with the exception of printing religious books.
This is the first printed book in the Ottoman Era titled Vankulu Lugati which is a dictionary
We also know that Ottomans’ visit to France led to the Turquerie Movement in France which was a fascination with the Turkish world.
There is a wonderful book on the Turquerie Movement by Yapı Kredi Yayınları. I would highly recommend you to read it
Here is a video that reads a very humorous part of the book where Yedisekiz Mehmet Çelebi talks in a gossipy style about his experiences in the French court. It is such a pity that the video does not have sub-titles in English but can be a delight to watch for those who can understand Turkish. Thanks to the creators of Tarih 101 Video&Podcast who have done a remarkable work.
