LESSON 4.6 What was life like in the Ottoman Empire?
LEARNING INTENTION By the end of this lesson you should be able to describe what daily life would have been like for people living in the Ottoman Empire.
Tune in
Many history resources, including this one, contain chapters that discuss the daily lives of people who lived in different periods and in different societies throughout history. These texts frequently talk about a society’s socioeconomic characteristics, the status of women, children and education, music, food and fashion. The question that you need to consider for this Tune In activity is simple: why? Why do we spend time investigating the daily life of historical societies? Why do we, as historians in the twenty-first century, need to understand what life was like for people during the Ottoman Empire? Create a mind map that unpacks these questions or discuss the questions as a class or with a partner.
SOURCE1 One of the highly decorated rooms in the harem courtyard in the Topkapı Palace
4.6.1
Daily life
Life within the Ottoman Empire varied greatly between people, usually depending on a person’s social and economic status. The empire included many Christian and Jewish, as well as Muslim, communities. Most of the population lived as peasants in small villages, and in the north-east there was a large nomadic population. If each community paid its taxes to the Sultan, the communities were generally free to continue their own lifestyles. Housing Most homes in the towns were made of timber, although richer people might have had their bottom floor built with stone walls. Wooden houses meant fewer injuries during earthquakes, but also increased the danger of fire, especially as houses were built very close together and streets were very narrow. Houses of the upper class usually had separate rooms for men and women. A space at the front, called the selamlik , was for men, and a space at the back, called the haremlik , waswhere women gathered. There were no chairs in the rooms. Boxes around the wall served as seats when covered with cushions.
SOURCE2 A traditional-style Ottoman house in Antalya, Türkiye
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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