THE REFLECTION OF RIKÂBDAR, AN OFFICER TITLE IN THE OTTOMAN PALACE, IN DIVAN POETRY

Abstract

The Ottoman palace, in which the Sultan lived and important decisions were made, was operated under a certain set of rules. Rikâbdar, which had a significant role in the order within the palace, was among the four great officers of Has Oda, the most important and highest room in the Enderun. He was responsible for the storage, maintenance, and putting on the Sultan's boots/shoes. When the Sultan went out into the garden, the officer would hold the stirrup of his horse. Rikâbdar was part of the team that escorted the Sultan on campaigns and while traveling by boat. He also accompanied the Sultan in various ceremonies.

It is clear that Ottoman poets possessed a large source of knowledge and observation regarding the palace and the protocol in terms of presenting poems to the Sultan and other statesmen. Furthermore, some of the divan poets even personally resided in the palace. The poets, who viewed social life and nature in a very attentive manner, used rikâbdar, one of the most important elements of the palace protocol, as a subject in their poems and produced various imageries. In the present study, readings on this concept were carried out in 261 divans. The data obtained were examined in the form of headings, and the place of rikâbdar within the aesthetics of divan poetry was identified. The present study, it was aimed to contribute to future studies on the Ottoman palace protocol.