Kuirnâme*
A5 size artwork. Re-illustration and queerification of acrobats miniature from "The Surname-i Hümayun" ('Book of the Imperial Circumcision Festival'), 1524. Inside a "battal ebru" (marbling).
"Aşk" - A5 size artwork. Re-illustration and queerification of 18th Century Abdulcelil Levni's "Reclining Woman" miniature. Inside an ebru (marbling).
This reflex is still going on by both secular and neo-ottomanist right wing politicians, screenwriters in Turkey supported by the ignorance of the "western" queers, feminists. My goal with this project is to raise anti-colonialist awareness and draw queer and feminist interest to Ottoman history. Particularly in English, because just as Roman history is not the history of Italy, Ottoman history cannot be solely the history of Turkey. It's time to free this history from the monopoly of countries and colonialist cishets.
This project combines my love of history, queerness, graphic design, illustration, and ebru (marbling). When it comes to Ottoman history, we actually have a wealth of resources, research, and academic publications. Foremost among these is the Ottoman History Podcast, which I love listening to while I work.
The problem with Ottoman history is the lack of popular history. You can find hundreds of documentaries about the Romans or even the Egyptians on the History Channel, but almost nothing decent about the Ottoman Empire—neither a proper documentary nor a Hollywood film. Yet this empire, which ruled for 600 years, collapsed only in 1922. The responsibility for shaping the Ottoman historical narrative and cultural production fell to the new Republic of Turkey. But early Turkey was deeply invested in “modernization” through Western-style revolutions. As a result, many early historians and writers, ashamed of the empire’s queer history and literature, acted with a kind of self-colonial reflex.
Some early academics even proposed banning Divan poetry in schools because of its erotic and homoerotic content. Historians put forward bizarre theories—claiming, for example, that in a “backward” society marked by gender segregation, men who couldn’t find women were forced into homosexuality. In doing so, they erased not only the history of gay men, but also of women, brothels, sex workers, dildo-making artisans, and the vibrant diversity of a multilingual society. This erasure allowed the Global North to frame itself as “the pioneer of sexual liberation.”
The problem with Ottoman history is the lack of popular history. You can find hundreds of documentaries about the Romans or even the Egyptians on the History Channel, but almost nothing decent about the Ottoman Empire—neither a proper documentary nor a Hollywood film. Yet this empire, which ruled for 600 years, collapsed only in 1922. The responsibility for shaping the Ottoman historical narrative and cultural production fell to the new Republic of Turkey. But early Turkey was deeply invested in “modernization” through Western-style revolutions. As a result, many early historians and writers, ashamed of the empire’s queer history and literature, acted with a kind of self-colonial reflex.
Some early academics even proposed banning Divan poetry in schools because of its erotic and homoerotic content. Historians put forward bizarre theories—claiming, for example, that in a “backward” society marked by gender segregation, men who couldn’t find women were forced into homosexuality. In doing so, they erased not only the history of gay men, but also of women, brothels, sex workers, dildo-making artisans, and the vibrant diversity of a multilingual society. This erasure allowed the Global North to frame itself as “the pioneer of sexual liberation.”
* Kuirnâme: Book of Queers, "Kuir": queer (Modern Turkish),
"nâme": love letter, a persons past, book, text (Ottoman Turkish)
"nâme": love letter, a persons past, book, text (Ottoman Turkish)
Reclaiming Ottoman queer history, a zine & artworks. An ongoing research.
"Zıbık" زبیق // Ottoman Dildo
A5 size artwork. Re-illustration and queerification of a miniature from Surnâme-i Hümayun (1582 Imperial Festival Books), inside an ebru (marbling).
In the Ottoman Empire, every professional group had lodges and they performed at festivals such as goldsmiths, coffeemakers, bird fanciers. In the parades they would pass with their cars and would show their best products or do shows. "Zıbık" زبیق was a wooden dildo produced in grand bazaar and it was seen as a craftsmanship. In other miniatures we can see zıbıks like Hamse-i Attai 17th century. I imagined a lesbian, pirate street dildo seller. And a customer from the palace and of course someone witnessing this moment just like Turkish soap operas, perhaps later this will turn into a gossip, a palace intrigue.
Right now it seems impossible to imagine a street dildo seller but we look at the past and sexuality through today's eyes...
A5 size artwork. Re-illustration and queerification of a miniature from Surnâme-i Hümayun (1582 Imperial Festival Books), inside an ebru (marbling).
In the Ottoman Empire, every professional group had lodges and they performed at festivals such as goldsmiths, coffeemakers, bird fanciers. In the parades they would pass with their cars and would show their best products or do shows. "Zıbık" زبیق was a wooden dildo produced in grand bazaar and it was seen as a craftsmanship. In other miniatures we can see zıbıks like Hamse-i Attai 17th century. I imagined a lesbian, pirate street dildo seller. And a customer from the palace and of course someone witnessing this moment just like Turkish soap operas, perhaps later this will turn into a gossip, a palace intrigue.
Right now it seems impossible to imagine a street dildo seller but we look at the past and sexuality through today's eyes...
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Ebru Art (Ancient Marbling)
