Ottoman Celebrations of the Night Journey and Ascension according to Ottoman Archival Documents and Sources

Abstract

This paper deals with the issue of the Ottomans’ celebration of the Isra and Al-Miraj and the significance of Bait Al-Maqdis in the Ottoman mentality. The city represents a religious position for all the heavenly religions and since it was opened in 1516 by the Ottomans, interest in it has increased. A special administration was formed in it, and many urban projects were set up, services were developed, and charitable facilities were endowed. Many historical and political studies have dealt with the city of Jerusalem throughout history of the Ottoman era, and have discussed its importance in the map of political balances in the Middle East region. However, these studies do not address the issue of the Ottomans’ interest on the occasion of the Night Journey and Mi’raj, nor do they touch upon the intellectual and literary literature such as the Ma’rajiyat, which reflects the extent of the presence of Bayt al-Maqdis in the Ottoman collective consciousness. The Ottomans paid great attention to the occasion of the Isra and Mi’raj, as will be demonstrated. We have relied on Ottoman documents and sources to understand the intellectual, religious, political and social background that moved the Ottomans around the Isra and Mi’raj and Bayt Al-Maqdis. We also tried, through these Ottoman documents and sources, and to know the most important customs, traditions and events that were held at the level of the members of society, as well as at the level of the Ottoman Empire. In this paper, a number of themes will be addressed, including: the Ottomans dedication to celebrating and reviving religious occasions; the customs and traditions of the Ottomans in their celebration of the Isra and Mi’raj; the most important Ottoman sources that dealt with the issue of Al-Isra and Al-Miraj; and the intellectual and political backgrounds of the Isra and Miraj issue.

Özet

Bu araştırma, Osmanlıların İsra ve Miraç (Gece Yolculuğu) kutlaması konusunu ve Kudüs'ün Osmanlı fikriyatındaki önemini ele almaktadır, çünkü bu şehir tüm semavi dinlere göre dini bir konumu temsil etmektedir. Tarih boyunca Osmanlı döneminde Kudüs şehri ile ilgili birçok tarihi ve siyasi çalışma yapılmış ve Ortadoğu'daki dengeler haritasındaki önemini aydınlatılmaya çalışılmıştırı. Ancak bu çalışmalar Osmanlıların İsra ve Miraç gecesi meselesini ele almamıştır. Beytülmakdis'in Osmanlı kolektif bilincindeki varlığının boyutunu yansıtan Mi'râciyeler (Mi'râc-nâmeler) gibi entelektüel ve edebi literatüre değinilmemiştir. Osmanlılar, özellikle İsra ve Miraç vesilesiyle bu dini geceye büyük önem vermişlerdir. Bu araştırmamızda ve Mirac hadisesinin, dinî, siyasî ve sosyal arka planını anlamak için Osmanlı belge ve kaynaklarından istifade ettik. Ayrıca bu çalışma vesilesiyle İsra ve Mirac’ın toplum düzeyindeki önemini saptamaya çalıştık.