Żygulski, Zdzisław: Ottoman art in the service of the empire (New York, NY [u.a.], 1992)

Fig. 21. Various types of Ottoman turbans a. Mehmed H b. Suteyman the Magnifi-
cent c. Ahmed !H d. SeiimfH e. turban seiimi f. turban mucevveze g. turban kaila-
vi h. turban drf.

in Persian fabrics, were completely absent in the Ottoman, where
only noniconographic and floral symbols could appear. As in Hags,
dress motifs included stars, crescents, and czintamani designs—a
correspondence that indicates the uniformity of this culture. Like
the design of Hags, the design of dress was suited to function, al-
though the fabric used for dress was not the same as that used for
Hags and was less symbolic but more decorative.
In studying Ottoman dress, I shall analyze, as usual, actual cos-
tumes, particularly those from the Topkapi Saray Museum in Istan-
bul, iconographic representations, mainly from miniatures, and all
accessible written sources, such as the notes of the court's chief tailor.
Only a consideration of these three elements together can bring us
nearer to the actual appearance of the Ottoman court. I shall now
concentrate upon a number of features of Ottoman dress and attri-
butes, particularly those that belonged to the sultan.

105