Pinar Kayaalp - The Empress Nurbanu and Ottoman Politics in the 16th Century: Building the Atik Valide

Nurbanu (15251583) is one of the most prominent yet least studied royal women of the Ottoman dynasty. Her political and administrative career began when she was chosen as the favorite concubine of the crown prince Selim. Nurbanus authority increased when her son Murad was singled out as crown prince. By 1574, when her son, Murad III became Sultan, Nurbanu officially took on the title of Valide Sultan, or Queen Mother, holding the highest office of the imperial harem until her death in 1583.

This book concentrates on the Atik Valide mosque complex, which constitutes the architectural embodiment of Nurbanus prestige, power and piety. The arrangement of the chapters is designed to enable readers to reconsider Ottoman imperial patronage practices of the late sixteenth century using the architectural enterprise of a remarkable woman as the common thread. Chapter 1 provides a general history of the wqaf institution to inform on its origins and evolution. Chapter 2 looks closely at the political dealings of Nurbanu, both in the domestic and the international sphere, building upon research concerning Ottoman royal women and power dynamics of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. Chapter 3 presents a textual analysis of the written records pertaining to Nurbanus imperial mosque complex. Chapter 4 examines the distinctive physical qualities and functional features of the Atik Valide within its urban context. The book concludes by assessing to what extent Nurbanu was involved in the representation of her power and piety through the undertaking of her eponymous monument.

Providing a complete study of the life and times of this Ottoman empress, this book will appeal to students and scholars of Ottoman studies, gender studies, history of art and architecture, Islamic studies, history of religion and Middle Eastern studies.

Pinar Kayaalp is Associate Professor of Islamic and Middle Eastern Studies at Ramapo College of New Jersey, USA.

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The Empress Nurbanu and Ottoman Politics in the Sixteenth Century
Building the Atik Valide
Pinar Kayaalp

First published 2018
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ISBN: 978-1-138-09979-1 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-351-59661-9 (ebk)

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For:

Stephen Altan, my Golden Crown.
You are the light that sustains me.

Richard, my partner.
You are the love that guides me.

Emmy and Orhan, my parents.
You are the anchors that ground me.

Nurbanu (15251583) is one of the most prominent yet least studied royal women of the Ottoman dynasty. The construction of the Atik Valide provides insights into the changes that the Ottoman political and administrative systems were undergoing during the reigns of Selim II (15661574) and Murad III (15741595). In addition, the construction of the mosque complex informs about the perceived and real problems that affected Ottoman society in the same time period. This imperial mosque complex (klliye) was, aside from an act of beneficence on the part of Nurbanu, a legitimizing vehicle used by the Ottoman house to impress its critics in the hopes of dissipating any anxiety that might have been felt over its strength and staying power.

The multiple meanings of the Atik Valide that would be readily appreciated by Ottoman audiences may not be manifest to the modern viewer. Yet, the afterglows of these powerful projections still glimmer on the klliyes walls today. This study attempts to restore the iconographic significance of the Atik Valide to contemporary audiences. Glru Necipolu, in her analysis of the Sleymaniye complex, showed that a monument may encapsulate multiple layers of meaning, and that its messages may be shaped, in part, by the endower.arrays of meaning intimated by this monument. To accomplish this task, I have shifted focus away from the imperial mosque complexs architect to its endower, and the audiences she aimed to serve and impress. I wish to reveal at least some of the multiple layers of meaning endemic to Nurbanus charitable foundation by subjecting it to a rigorous iconographic analysis.

Culturally defined signs and codes constituted an integral part of Ottoman pious endowments and were picked up by contemporaneous audiences. the cultural associations projected by the Atik Valide would also be detected by them. It is the main purpose of this work to show that this klliye is indeed an eloquent representation of the identity of the woman behind its actualization, aptly projecting Nurbanus beneficence and piety simultaneously with her wealth and might. This dazzling mixture of attributes, encompassing both the inner characteristics and the outwardly achievements of the Queen Mother is effectively implanted in the setting, architecture, endowment deed, inscription program, and visual implications of her imperial mosque complex. Completed the year of her death in 1583, the Atik Valide marks a fundamental shift in the locus of female power in the imperial harem, which is reflected in the Ottoman patronage system. The grand scale of Nurbanus project attests to her unassailable standing in Ottoman dynastic politics and architectural hierarchy of her times, a beacon for her successors to reach and to transcend.