For meals, food was placed on large trays on a low platform in the centre of the living room and people squatted around this. At night, some rooms could be converted to bedrooms. Peasants’ houses usually had only three rooms: one for sleeping, one for cooking and one as a sitting/dining room. The material the houses were built from depended on the material available locally, so they could be made of timber, stone or mud brick. SkillBuilder discussion Continuity and change 1. Describe the features of the Ottoman houses and the materials used to construct them. 2. Earthquakes were common in the region of the Ottoman Empire. Explain how this might affect how the houses were built. Women and children in society The following table outlines some of the likely social expectations and everyday experiences of women and children in the Ottoman Empire.
Category
Details
Women wore a s¸alvar (baggy trousers), gömlek (long undershirt), entari (outer robe) and yelek (vest).
Women’s clothing
Women’s clothing in public places
Women wore an outer robe; hair covered; veil.
Marriage features
Wife retained property control; husband’s family provided dowry. Permitted. Husband to initiate by repeating ‘You are divorced’ three times. Wife to initiate by going to court with witnesses.
Divorce
City occupations
Women were involved in trade via male agent. Women worked on farms or in the textile industry.
Rural or village occupations
Children occupations
Children were engaged in spinning, weaving, farm work, textile production, apprenticeships.
SOURCE3 This court case concerns a father who, in 1656, complained that his son had been employed against his will by the barber Yusuf. The father brought his case to a cadi (judge).
Master barber Yusuf, questioned on this matter, said that the boy joined his employ of his own free will and wishes to stay with his master and learn the trade. The boy was therefore summoned and questioned, and he too replied that he wishes to stay with his master in order to learn the barber’s profession. In view of these declarations the cadi informed the plaintiff [the father] that he is not to get custody of his son unless the son himself so wishes, since the boy is now a mature companion. He warned the plaintiff against trying to harm the defendant [the barber] or harass him.
Slavery Like other civilisations at the time, slaves existed in the Ottoman Empire, but they had more opportunities and greater legal protection than many other slaves in the Middle Ages. While the Qur’an recognised slavery, it did recommend kindness to slaves and eventual liberation. Christians who had been captured and brought to work in the Sultan’s palace could eventually obtain high positions in the empire. The case of the Ruthenian (modern-day Ukraine) slave Roxelana, who eventually became the legal wife of Suleiman the Magnificent, shows the possibilities available to some.
Jacaranda Humanities Alive 8 Victorian Curriculum Third Edition
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