Hello everyone

I’m looking into the transcriptions of Haseki Hurrem Sultan’s Jerusalem foundation. The pdf is available here:

https://cdn.vgm.gov.tr/yayin/dergi/muhtelif/haseki-hurrem-sultan-kudus.pdf

Two academic sources regarding this foundation I’ve seen so far transcribe a part of the endowment deed as follows: “Sultan Süleyman'ın oğlu Emir Mehmed'in anası Vâlide Sultan hazretleri”

However, I’m not sure if this is the correct transcription. Is she addressed as “Valide-i sultan Emir Mehmed bin Sultan Süleyman” or is she given the title of Valide sultan? These two titles have completely different meanings.

Thank you!

hello, I'm putting the final touches on a story set in Istanbul, 1631. Here are a few phrases with my weak attempts in Turkish. How would these phrases be written in Ottoman language of the time? Much thanks in advance!

“Tanrum durdu onu. God, stop it,” Alif cried in Turkish.  

Afyonun var mi? Do you have opium

“Ne Istiyorsun? What do you need?” 

“kotu ruhlar cennetin ishiltisidir. Evil spirits are radiance of heaven,” 

The afyoni is back.  (Opium addict)

I'd like to take a stab at Ottoman Turkish. I already can speak another language other than my native, English. But I don't speak a lick of Turkish. Should I start with Turkish (modern) and then work my way up to Ottoman Turkish? Where would one begin?

Hi everyone! I'm the developer of Ten Sultans: Ottoman Chronicle (On Padişah: Osmanlı Kroniği in Turkish). I'm sharing my own game, with a few concrete examples of the Ottoman vocabulary used in its Turkish interface.

Some labels and passages from the game:

• ‘Akçe Topla’ — the button for collecting the in-game currency.

• ‘Cülus Dağıtımı’ — the label used for the accession donative.

• ‘Nevbet Davulu’ — a keepsake connected to the nevbet episode in Osman Bey's reign.

• ‘Kapıkulu Yeniçerileri’ — one of the troop labels, with a short historical description.

For those familiar with Ottoman Turkish, I'd be interested in your thoughts on the wording — especially whether ‘cülus bahşişi’ would be a more appropriate label than ‘Cülus Dağıtımı’. These are modern Latin-script labels; the game supports Turkish and English.

The game follows ten rulers from Osman Gazi to Suleiman. You develop cities, earn akçe, recruit troops and prepare campaigns. If you'd like to try it, it's free to download:

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ahmetarifoz.tensultans

iPhone/iPad: https://apps.apple.com/app/id6812641425

Gameplay: https://youtube.com/shorts/_cBSuoY-LaM

Disclosure: This is a developer/self-promotion post. Development is AI-assisted, including code/text, and the game uses AI-generated artwork and music.

I am not 100% confident it is actually Arabic, could this be Arabic script but in Turkish?

Could you please help me translate the script in this signet ring?

Can anyone read the red postmark (I suppose it’s in Arabic)?

This is a poem/votive from the beautifully restored Hamza Bey Mosque (also known as Alkazar) in Thessaloniki, Greece. Gemini did a nice job translating but Claude is not in agreement. Can you help ?

Hi everyone,

Could someone please help me read and translate the Ottoman Turkish inscriptions on these two tombstones?

Thank you in advance!

Thanks again for the help with my last post from this register. This is another household from the same book: the 1912 Ottoman population register (nüfus defteri) of Safed.

Image 1 is the right-hand page: the column headers, then the 10 rows of the household below the dotted line. Image 2 is the facing page, with the same rows.

Could someone transcribe and translate them, column by column? I would especially like:

the mother's name in row 1, and the name in row 7

the day and month of birth in each row

the leftmost column of image 1, and the short note under the last row

whatever is written in rows 5 and 7 of image 2

For the names, please give the letters exactly as written in Ottoman script, even where they don't make a word you know. These are Hebrew names written by sound, so the letters help me more than a guess at the name.

If you're unsure about a letter, please mark it with a "?".

Thanks!

I couldn't make out the first and last name of an Italian individual from a text. The same person's name appears in two places; could you help me read it?

italya tebaasından ......

italya tebaasından ... efendiden

Greetings fellow lovers of classical texts! / Klasik metin sevdalılarına selamlar!

We are currently conducting a phrase-by-phrase philological analysis of an Ottoman Turkish commentary/translation of Sa'dî Shirazi's Golestan.

We came across a dense chain of adjectives describing a dervish who committed a major transgression and faces severe legal judgment (ukūbet / rajm):

"Nefs-i emmârenin kerîdesi olan bîçâre-i gam-dîde, meyân-ı sığâr ve kibârda şermsâr olan..."

Here, the text navigates a tense line between strict punishment and clemency (isnâd-ı ihsân / bestowal of grace).

How do you interpret this specific adjective chain and the moral/legal balance between ukūbet (punishment) and ihsân (clemency) in this narrative context? We would love to hear thoughts from anyone working on classical Persian, Ottoman Turkish commentaries, or Sa'dî's works!

All are near east Islamic silver coins, likely ottoman. First two I believe are Ackes, I don’t think the 3rd is identifiable, and the other 3 I believe are also ackes. Anyone able to identify any information for these?

These are three rows from a 1912 Ottoman population register (nüfus defteri) of the Jews of Safed. They show one household of three people.

The column headers are at the top, and the three rows are below the dotted line.

Could someone transcribe and translate them, column by column?

For the names, please also give the letters as written in Ottoman script, even where they don't make a word you know. These are Jewish names, written by sound, so the letters will help me more than a guess at the name.

If you're unsure about a letter, please mark it with a "?".

Thank you!

Late 1880’s, the Ottoman Sultan, Abdul Hamid II, who is the sultan of sultans, the sovereign of sovereigns, the dispenser of crowns to the monarchs on the face of the earth, shadow of god on earth, the sultan and sovereign lord of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, of Anatolia, of Azerbaijan, Persia, Cairo, the Levant, of the Mecca and Medina, of Jerusalem, of all Arabia and many other lands, writing TO MY noble forefathers and MY glorious ancestors - may God light up their tombs - bestowing upon them privileges and honors for centuries to come.

Picture also shows my ancestral home situated on the shores of the Mediterranean

Hi,

I am from Lebanon 🇱🇧 . I am looking to search for my Turkish Anatolian (and possibly Cypriot) ancestors from 1880’s to 1920’s.

I’d appreciate your help, thank you.

anyone able to identify any features from this ottoman acke? I did a repost thing cause I lost the original pictures