My mystery friend revealed at last

             Who ? Where?  Why ?

     

[ picture courtesy of sultan-kayiklari-ile-bogaz-turu.com ]

                    Where ?

                           The place --- 

Istanbul Naval Museum

[picture courtesy of Wikipedia]

            Why - ?

    -  to see the elegant gondola-like caiques used by the Ottoman sultans. These lavishly ornamented boats were the favoured means of transport for travelling into the main city. 

                                                             A few imperial caiques

[picure By CeeGee - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,]

When the Court went on a visit from one palace to another, the spectacle of a flotilla of these caiques gliding along in procession was breath-taking, according to a 17th Century French Ambassador. 

            Who ? 

                   He was impressive in his uniform, and his sash made me smile.

                        -  the Sultan's chief Boat Master

                   For more pictures see    Istanbul_Naval_Museum

When Rose met Tom...💕

...in London, the pair of them fell instantly in love💕 but...

after getting caught in a passionate embrace, Rose is whisked away in disgrace. She hears no more from Tom, and accepts the marriage her family arranged for her. Soon widowed, she travels to Egypt with her aunt and uncle, keen antiquarians. As Rose is a fine artist, her drawings are most useful to them.

Fleeing a sudden uprising in Cairo, Rose, with her sister and her aunt, arrives in Constantinople, and they go to the British Embassy for help. 

To Rose's horror, there she comes face to face with Tom. 😨

Tom has two days to complete his top secret report for the Sultan. The last thing he needs is for three Englishwomen to arrive, wanting his help, especially when one of them is Rose, the girl he's been trying to forget.... 😩  

 As they glare at each other and the air vibrates hostility, enter Kerim Pasha, the powerful and handsome chief minister. Smitten by Rose's English beauty [and also being a most courteous gentleman] he whisks the ladies away to his luxurious mansion for their safety and comfort. 

Then he offers a series of tempting lures...

                                     Kaftans

                                                                                               

gorgeous robes of silk or velvet,

with gauzy shirts and embroidered sashes,

delicate muslins, soft linens, silken pantaloons

and jewelled slippers

 

[picture courtesy of farukunal.com]

                                Kiosks

           

Not just an agreeable place to sit during the heat of midday but the only safe place for conversations about planning great political changes. It is in the kiosk, too far away for any prying ears to make out what is said, that His Excellency, Kerim Pasha, can discuss the proposed vital military reforms with Tom and Rose, who is needed for her artistic talent.

                          Caiques

A pleasant outing on the Golden Horn in a graceful caique is something that always pleases the ladies.

                    
                               [ picture courtesy of sultan-kayiklari-ile-bogaz-turu.com ]

Are all these delights enough to tempt Rose to choose a life in the Ottoman style? ......or does Tom still have a chance of winning her back ?

 

 April and May

Ottoman mansions, tulip fever and caiques

                           
                                   Tulips in TopKapi Palace Garden


The reign of Sultan Ahmet III [1703-1730] was a peaceful period, and the Sultan and his Grand Vizir sent ambassadors to many European countries, with orders to take note of any useful inventions, fortresses, factories and works of civilisation that could be adapted for use in Turkey. One result of this was to introduce baroque architecture to Istanbul. 

Baroque Fountain of Ahmet III at entrance to Top Kapi Palace, Istanbul [built 1728]

The Ambassador to France sent back sketches of the Chateau de Fontainebleau. Based on these plans, the Sultan had a new summer palace built at Kagithane on the Golden Horn. All along the Bosphorus, nobles set about building grandiose residences surrounded by gardens, where the dominant flower was the tulip. For more on the Turkish passion for tulips see here: tulips

The reign of Ahmet III is known as the Tulip Period. Ahmet set up an annual tulip festival, which was held around the first full moon in April. 
The famous traveller, Evliya Çelebi, who visited the tulip gardens at Kagithane says:
Those who come here at tulip time go into ecstasies. 

                

Aynalikavak Kasri

This little kasir, or pavilion, is all that remains of a once enormous royal palace set in a vast park. The grounds were used to cultivate many varieties of trees and flowers. There are tulips there in season even now. 

All the huge wooden palaces have disappeared, through age, decay, and especially fire. Some have been replaced by stone buildings. The Ciragan palace was rebuilt several times and is currently a luxury hotel. The version in this picture is from about 1840.

The old Ciragan palace,

In the early 19th century, this enormous palace is where the Sultan took his court for the summer. If it was necessary to travel into the main city, caiques were the favoured means of transport. The number of rowers depended on rank and wealth. The Sultan could have 20 pairs of rowers, making his boat super fast. And he had a silk covered kiosk to travel in. 
When the court went on a visit from one palace to another, the spectacle of a flotilla of these boats gliding along in procession was breath-taking, according to the French Ambassador.


Pictures of some of these lost palaces can be seen in the paintings of the 18th century artist Antoine-Ignace Melling and in the sketches of Julia Pardoe's 'The Beauties of the Bosphorus', 1840.