THE FRIDAY GREETING
THE PADISHAH’S WAY OUT TO THE PEOPLE
The Friday greeting or Friday Procession was, on the one hand, a way to show the people that the Padishah was in good health, and on the other, to strengthen the bond of subjects with the palace.
The Friday greeting is the Sultan’s departure for Friday prayer, a solemn procession accompanied by a palace motorcade back and forth from the mosque. Before this procession, a smaller procession, the saryk procession, took saryk Padishah to the mosque where the prayer was to be performed. Until the Sultanate was abolished, the Friday greeting served as confirmation that the Padishah was alive. On that day, the members of the motorcade: agi from Enderun and Birun, agha janissaries, soldiers from ojak, solaki and peika donned ceremonial saryks, kavuki, sorghuchi, caftans and gathered in the courtyard of the palace – some on foot, some on horseback. The padishah mounted a horse brought from the Sultan’s stables and took his place in the middle. The procession began to move amid the cheers of the Applauders, «Allah help you! May Allah protect you, my Padishah! A thousand years of glory to you and the Empire!» and usually headed to one of the mosques built by the Padishahs. The streets along the Sultan’s route were filled with people on both sides, and the janissaries occupied the first rows in front of the crowd. The Padishah greeted his subjects, the people saw the Padishah, who was considered the shadow of Allah on earth, and palace officials collected petitions. Friday boat processions were also organized to mosques on the shores of the Bosphorus and the Golden Horn. During the Greeting, there were also other details of the protocol, such as the greeting of the Padishah by the Grand Vizier and the meeting of the Padishah with the aga janissaries.
Members of the Friday Greeting Procession:
- The Padishah
Sultan (Abdulhamid I 1774-1789), marching to Friday prayer, is dressed in a kapaniche-type fur caftan, a kyatibi-type turban and a ceremonial sorghum. He takes his place in the middle of the procession, looking majestic but welcoming. With his right hand on his chest, he greets his subjects and the bowed heads of the military.
- Precious harness and ceremonial saddle
A horse brought from the Sultan’s stables was dressed up in a harness decorated with precious stones, gold and silver, a ceremonial saddle and a blanket were put on; it was led to the inner gate. The splendor of the Padishah was personified by a horse with a golden ornament on its forehead and an aga with sorghum.
- Solaks and Uzengas
Together with the solaks (personal guards of the Palishah), miral, mirakhur, shikyar agi (agi engaged in Sultan’s hunting) and the commanders of the Janissary companies performed the function of protecting the Padishah and led the horse by the reins. The frightening appearance of the Solaks, their thick beards, grotesque headscarves and layered caftans spread fear.
- Peiki
They walked at the head of the procession, dressed in something like a caftan and trousers, they had daggers in ivory scabbards, in their hands they had double-sided axes with a spear-shaped tip, and on their heads were bird feathers and long narrow caps with feathers on top of them.
- Silakhdar Agha
Rolamba miniature depicting Silakhdar Agu
The governor of the Padishah’s private chambers, Silyakhdar (literally means «squire»), was the Sultan’s first attorney. At the ceremonies, he was dressed in a high red yuskuf (the headdress of the highest ranks of the janissaries, half of which hung on his back) and carried the sword of the Padishah on his shoulder.
- Rikabdar Agha
One of the servants of the Padishah’s private chambers accompanied the Padishah along with Silyakhdar on horseback during his trips from the palace.
- Dariussaade Agha (Agha of the Eunuchs)
As the chief head of the palace harem, the black eunuch aga participated in the Friday procession on horseback and with a huge magnificent bow on his head.
harem-kadinlar-1
Image of Dariussaade Aga
- Babussaade Agha (White Agha)
The head of the Enderun barracks, a White aga in a white official cape, furs and on horseback, followed Dariussaade Aga at the Friday greeting.
- Applauding, haseki, shatyrs
Employees of various levels in formal attire or on foot were part of the procession.
- The Janissaries and the people
Along the way, the military stood with their hands on their chests in greeting, and behind them stood men, women, and children who had come to see the Padishah from the periphery and foreigners. It was believed that the sick who saw the Padishah at the Friday procession would be cured.