Mankind has sought ways to benefit from the blessings of the world since its existence in order to meet its various needs, human intelligence has gradually developed, and has realized countless and limitless inventions that cannot be imagined. Undoubtedly, one of the oldest arts in human history is the art of weaving. Mankind, who felt the necessity of protecting himself against the different climatic conditions of nature, eventually created the art of weaving. Over time, weaving developed due to various conditions and progressed according to the welfare level, art and technical ability of each nation. We can easily say that Turkish fabrics have a very important place in the world fabric business in terms of touch, material and pattern richness. Turkish weaving and fabrics, which gather all the subtleties of Turkish culture and taste, are divided into four groups according to the places they are made.

In our article, we will examine only the palace fabrics and sultan's clothes among these groups.

The fabrics that were specially woven for the clothes of the sultan, the dynasty and the members of the palace, which were completely different from the way of dressing and living of the people in the past, are called "Palace Fabrics". Undoubtedly, the fabrics that were woven for the furnishing of the Ottoman Palaces should be added to this group. These looms worked only to meet the needs of the Palace and they did not do any other work. Even if similar fabrics were encountered in the production of other workshops working for the public, the fabrics of the Palace would have been superior to the others in terms of both their ornaments and the richness of the materials used. Due to the fact that all the clothes of the Sultan and the Palace were adhered to certain rules, great care was given to the fabric type and patterns, especially in the daily clothes of the Sultan and in the ceremonial dresses, played an important role in the development of the palace looms.

As the empire grew, manufacturing diversified and prospered. On the other hand, weaving, which was first done completely amateurishly, has become a professional, strong art branch that meets all the needs as a result of the urbanization of the people.

In this century, Bursa looms have been the most active in our country. According to the sources, the most beautiful examples of breeds such as Çatma, velvet, atlas, broadcloth, kemha are given here. The fame of these fabrics spread to Hungary, Poland, France and Italy in those years. In addition to Bursa fabrics with completely Turkish patterns, it progressed rapidly in Istanbul workshops. In fact, the number of looms has increased so rapidly that it has become necessary to make restrictions on them. The silks of the workshops established in Istanbul were purchased from Bursa, and the preparation of weft and warp silks was left to Bursa. Because the best silk thread for weaving was prepared in Bursa.

The most valued fabric of the Ottoman Empire was seraser. It is known that the best kind is woven in the looms of the Palace in Istanbul, under the supervision of the head of the seraserci, and it is called (Istanbul Seraseri). Documents describe the development of Turkish weaving in Bursa in the 16th century. The name seraser is not encountered only in Bursa workshops.

From the Enderun Treasury, which was the private treasure of the Ottoman Sultans, the fabrics that we have, such as the objects that make up the various sections of the Topkapı Palace Museum, were brought together as gifts, war booty by ordering and purchasing. The rich and beautiful collection of these years has been preserved and preserved with great care. Among these, a tradition applied especially for the inner and outer clothes of the sultans was maintained with great care until the end of the empire. According to this tradition, all the clothes of the deceased or the deceased Sultan were bundled up, sealed with a tag and kept in the Silahtar Treasure. For this reason, clothing items for the sultans have a special value in terms of their decoration; they are also of great importance. The sultan's dresses in the Topkapı Palace Museum today are one of the richest collections in the world.

When the Topkapı Palace was opened to the public as a museum by the order of Great Atatürk, these garments were found in the Arms Treasury in bundles, all of which were labeled; It has a meaning that has no museum in the world.

We present the following summary in order to give information about the variety and richness of the Sultan's dresses, fabrics and velvets in the Topkapı Palace Museum: Fatih Sultan Mehmet : 21 Kaftans, Suleiman the Magnificent : 77 Kaftans, Ahmet I : 13 Kaftans, Osman II : 30 caftan, 27 caftan.

Most of the goods, which are close to 2500 pieces in number, are made of the heaviest and most beautiful fabrics and velvets, which were specially woven for the Palace. Although few in number, children's dresses (Şehzade and sultans) are another feature of this collection. Since it is not a procedure for women's clothing to be taken and stored in the Treasury, they do not belong to them. There is no robe that can be attributed to the six Ottoman rulers before Mehmet the Conqueror by name. However, considering both the weavings and ornaments of the old Ottoman dresses (the guise of Salâtini - Naziye-iâl Osman Mazerat), the ones found in the bundles with the label are the oldest ones.

No convincing results have been obtained from the studies carried out so far on archive records and old treasury books.

The names of the sultan's clothes in terms of touch and the type of materials used are: Atlas, canfes, Çatma, seraser, seren, selimiye, kemha and travel.

The sultan's clothes, which were simple at first, became even more perfect later on. Furs were added to the caftans; these furs; sable, kakum, foyum, (Hermin) is composed of the genus. These caftans, named Kapanice, are covered with fur inside, covered with the most exquisite fabrics such as seraser, satin and travel, with long sleeves (yen), open at the front, buttons decorated with precious stones and slits on the sides. It is known that the Kapanice special to the rulers was gifted to the Crimean Khans and Bendegan as an extraordinary compliment. There are examples of this kind of traps in the Topkapı Palace Museum.

Two types of caftans are woven to be worn inside and outside, the ones that are worn outside are the Ceremonial Caftans. These are made of gold wire framing or seraser. These are other types of caftan; there is a second arm called caftan length (yen) from shoulder to shoulder only over the arm.

The Yen had a historical duty to make appearances magnificent and to be kissed in feasts and ceremonies according to the ceremonial style of the Ottoman Empire. After the Tanzimat, this method was abolished and the throne fringe began to be kissed. As a matter of fact, the throne eaves used in the last period are exhibited together with the golden throne in the Treasury today.

The fabric types of the caftans in the Topkapı Palace Museum change as the centuries change. But the caftan forms remain almost the same. Mostly, caftans are open at the front, collarless or with small stand-up collars, long or short sleeves, pockets and side slits. The front should be buttoned with ribbon or brit. Some of them are longitudinally stitched with cotton inside and quilted on the outside. Some inside caftans are short sleeved and also have postiche sleeves. The clothes in question are today in the Topkapı Palace Museum Sultan's Dresses fabric warehouse and section. These clothes are preserved in a very modern warehouse whose temperature and humidity levels are adjusted in a three-storey building called the pantry and oil house, which is one of the kitchens outbuildings of the Fatih period.

The clothing of all Sultans, from Fatih Sultan Mehmet to Sultan Reşat, was placed on bunk beds made of individual profiles, taking into account their caftan weights. In addition, they are protected from external factors by covering them.

Dhumudite pretemna type 10 device is used to protect all these from moisture. With this device, the humidity of the building is taken and the humidity level required for the fabrics is adjusted to 57.

Spraying (against the possibility of moths) and general cleaning are carried out in spring and autumn. It is disinfected with chemical substances that destroy moths and have no harm to fabrics.

BRIEF INFORMATION ABOUT FABRIC TYPES

Kemha Kaftan, Selim II. Kemha caftan, Selim II.

Çatma: The difference of Çatma, which is a type of velvet in terms of its touch and called "Velours â Double Hauteur" by the French, from velvet is that its flowers or the pile of its ornaments are higher compared to the ground.

In the old records, it is written as Kadife-i Çatma with the types of alâ, evsad, ednâ.

Among the items given to the princes who ascended to the starboard between the years 886 - 891 (1481 -1486) (Topkapı Palace archive No. D: 10017) registration is important. Because, as it has been seen in the Treasury Books and documents that Mirahuri caftans were almost made from Yezd (lyran) and Frankish (European) Kemha and Velvets, it is evidence that Bursa Çatma has reached a level that can compete with foreign fabrics since this period.

Towards the end of the eighteenth century, upholstery mats began to be woven in Üsküdar, and especially their pillows became famous.

Broadcloth: A plain, plain, solid fabric with pile, made of yarn, the warp and weft of which are spun from wool.

From the middle of the fifteenth century, we learn from various sources that the best kind of clothing was woven in Eğin until Thessaloniki was conquered and that clothing items were made from them for the sultans and their princes, together with the four caftans of Mehmed II.

On the 51st page of the book no. (1) of the years 867-868/1462-1463, which is the oldest of the Bursa Sharia court records (Egin Broadcloth)

When Şehzade Mahmud, Korkud, Alemşah and Selim ascended to the starboard (890-891/1485-1486), among the items given to them (covered with Egin cloth) caftans (Topkapı Palace archive D: 10017);

In the Enderun Treasure Notebook dated 1505 (Topkapı Palace Archive D: 4), these are the fabrics that are mentioned in the part (And Eğin felt of two dens); record is found.

When Şehzade Osman bin Alemşah Kengırı was taken to the sanjak (912/ 1506), it is among the goods (Çuha-i Eğin). (Topkapi Palace Archive E: 6510).

It is understood from these records that the best cloth was made in Eğin at that time.

Atlas: It is a hard and shiny fabric in solid color, woven from fine silk. It was usually woven in red. In the caftans made for sultans, mostly red, blue and green colors were preferred. Atlas is a fabric that is valued according to its wire count and touch. Among the clothing items reserved for the sultans, the caftans made of atlas are in the majority to attract attention.

These are not only made of flat woven satin, but also made of longitudinally shaped so-called Taraklı.

«Atlas-ı city 4200 wire would have been more than girah of a cubit and a half in width. Later on, it was reduced to 3500 wires and the width was left at the same size. The Sultani red meşdudi would have been 2200 strings and its color was lok red, the Metun meshdudi would have been 3600 strings, its width and a half cubits. (Bursa Acquisition Law).

Gezi: A densely woven moire fabric with a silk warp, silk weft and a mixture of threads. Compared to the warp, since the weft is woven together and mixed with several layers of silk and yarn, the wefts are noticed as thick among thin warps. The aura of the fabric, after weaving, is obtained by crushing and rubbing between two hot (vice in the old expression) cylinders. Outer robes were made for the Sultans from Gezi, which has been seen since the sixteenth century.

Hataî: a kind of hard fabric woven with silk and clapper.

Its warp is made of raw silk and the desired hardness is given to the fabric with it. His scarf is made of two twisted silk threads and a clapper. (Klaptan: Yarn or cotton yarn mixed with thread or wire wrapped in the old expression with a spinning wheel.)

This fabric, which was found after the second half of the sixteenth century, was generally used as an outer caftan for the Sultans.

In a citation dated 1687 (T- Öz - Turkish Fabrics and Velvets Moroccan 11. Sh: 10) for 590 dungarees (entrance dress) for the women of the palace, together with the Scalloped atlas:

7080 zira' Telli Hatai.

4800 zira'Sade Hatai

It is understood that it is also used as a robe fabric since it was purchased.

Velvet: A pile fabric with a silk warp and weft. The one with a flap on its scarf is called stringed velvet. Velvet pile is made from excess warps between the main warps. These are pulled out by means of wires placed on the face of the fabric where the weft is located, and then straightened. Velvet among Turkish fabrics is not found before the middle of the 15th century. In fact, until this time, it was working with imported silk.

The first domestic velvet records we identified in archive documents are found among the goods given to Şehzade Şehinşah, Ah-med, Mahmud, Korkud, Alemşah and Selim, who were brought to the sanjak between the years 886-891 (1481 -1486). (Topkapi Palace Archive No. D: 10017}

It is understood from both the names of velvet written in this book and the information about the types and production of velvet in the Bursa Specialization Law dated 1502; After the second half of the 15th century, Velvet began to weave in Bursa and progressed a lot.

Kemha: It is the name given to the silk fabric woven with silk warp and weft, and also gold alloy silver on the top row weft or directly woven with silver clasp. Its difference with Seraser is that it is woven with claptan instead of wire, and it carries a richer identity in terms of color and pattern.

Until the end of the fifteenth century, it is clear from the records of the Enderun Treasure that the Yezd (Iran) and Frankish (Europe) kemhas were very popular and in demand. (Topkapi Palace Archive No. D: 4 and D: 10017)

The oldest kemha kaftans are the ones belonging to Fatih.

Between 886 - 891 (1481 -1486) the records of Kemha-y-ı guvezi Bursa, Kemha-yı red Amasya can be found between the Yezd (Iran) and Frenk (Europe) kemhas, as a coat (clothes) among the goods given to the princes who went to the sanjak. It is evidence that kemha was touched in Amasya other than Bursa in that period.

At the end of the fifteenth century and the beginning of the sixteenth century, it has been determined that 8 types of kemhas under various names were touched in our country. Their names are as follows according to their touching characteristics:

Yek - color kemha, Peşuri kemha, Müzehhep kemha, Dolabî (Tolabî) kemha, Tâbi Kemha, Güvez Bursa kemha, Red Amasya kemha.

Seraser: It is a fabric woven with silk warp, gold alloy silver wire from the weft or directly using silver wire.

At the ceremony of the Ottoman Empire, the seraser upper hilāt was the foremost and most valuable among the creeds bestowed. It is possible to determine who was given the seraser top as a gift in which ceremony from the pamphlets and documents.

It is known that the best kind is woven in the looms of the Palace in Istanbul under the supervision of the head of Seraserci, and it is called Istanbul Seraseri.

There are other flowered ones besides these flat species of Seraser. These are named as flowered seraser or Seraser-i müsehhep (T. Öz - Turkish Fabrics and Velvets Fascicul 1 Sh. 44) according to the record in the Karhane-i Hassa book.

There are differences in weaving between plain seraser and Müzehhep (flowered) ones. Gold alloyed silver used as weft in flat greenhouses

Bench:

I — Mohair spun as a single layer, folded into two folds.

II — The line is made on the loom, the line is called the threads placed longitudinally on the loom. Lines are made by adjusting these threads according to the sparseness and density of the fabric to be woven.

III — Threads in the line are knitted. Gluing is done to ensure that the overhanging bristles stick together during spinning.

Selimiye: Its warp and weft are made of silk, and it is generally longitudinal and has small flowers. Claptan is also sometimes used in its flowers.

The name selimiyye was given to this fabric, which started to be woven after the eighteenth century and was produced in the looms around the Ayazma Mosque in Üsküdar, probably Selim III. It must have been after the Selimiye barracks were built in that district in the period.

The oldest piece of this type of fabric we have is a caftan belonging to Mahmud I. Since the clothing belonging to the previous period could not be determined, it can be concluded that it was started to be touched in the time of this sultan.

In 1843, when the fabric art began to stagnate, a factory was established in Hereke, where Ulupınar flows on the shores of Izmit, to make silk fabrics. Since the fabrics produced by this factory, which had 25 silk looms and worked with the jacquard method in its first establishment, were liked, it was deemed appropriate to make the fabrics necessary for the furnishing of the palaces here. . And in 1849 a Kemha circle was added. Although exquisite and very durable fabrics were woven in this factory, which lived for a century, this has been discontinued since 1936. Now there are two looms weaving Çatma.

After giving this information, it will be useful to indicate the patterns used in fabrics with their progress and changes over the centuries.

When Turkish fabrics and velvets are examined; it is seen that the color harmony is astonishingly beautiful. Especially XVI.-XVII. It is impossible to see the color variations and nuances of the centuries-old Turkish fabrics in the fabrics of other nations.

Turkish fabric patterns XIV. They are few but very vibrant colors with very large motifs in the 19th century. Large cones, plane leaves and pomegranate motifs are characteristic of this century.

XV. In the century, the patterns are smaller than a century ago, but the number of colors used is higher.

XVI. century is the period when Turkish fabric art went the most. In this period, tulip, carnation, cloud and speckle motifs gave the best examples.

XVI. In the second half of the century, carnations were used many times and took the form of a stylized fan, it is called Fan Carnation.

XVII. In our fabrics woven in the 19th century, we see that the tulip pattern is less and its shape has changed a little, while the carnation pattern has increased.

In this period, motifs with medallions are also very common. The medallions are irregular dark red, their colors are slightly lighter and the background colors of the fabrics are brighter.

XVIII. from the 2nd half of the 19th century to the XIX. Until the end of the century, small and wayward fabrics are seen. We find the best examples of ruched fabrics in Selimiye fabrics woven in Selimiye.

This article was written by Fikret Altay / Yapı Kredi Bank / Istanbul / 1979 taken from the book