Atmeydanı: The Stage of Sound and Power

Abstract

During their long dynastic rule, Ottoman sultans organized splendid festivals to celebrate royal circumcision ceremonies, marriages, engagements, and births. These events had different functions in addition to entertainment. They not only demonstrated the social, political, and cultural characteristics of the empire, but also strengthened the bond between the ruler and the ruled, preserved its continuity and displayed Ottoman power, both to foreign rulers and to their own subjects. This paper will focus mostly on the circumcision festival of Sultan Murad III’s son Şehzade Mehmed and, more broadly, on the 16th-century celebrations held in Atmeydanı (Hippodrome). The article aims to show the representation of Ottoman power in this historical area and the role of sound by examining archival sources, narratives, illustrated accounts, ambassadorial reports, and descriptions from Ottoman and European observers.