Both men and women endowed vakfs, charitable foundations that bore their founder’s name and could endure for centuries. When I started reading a table of the names of women who endowed vakfs in the city of Ankara in the 14th through 16th centuries, I expected to find the usual [name]…
In September 2021, the head of the Osmanlı Mehter Takımı, the SCA’s Janissary band, asked me to “share a list of appropriate names for our Janissaries to possibly choose from in developing personas”. He was probably referring to my page of names of Muslim men from Sivas province, but that…
These names were extracted from the 1580-1583 court records for the city of Bursa, Turkey. They include the names of free Muslim women, free ethnic Greek women, and suspected or confirmed enslaved Muslim women. Muslim Women These names belonged to Muslim women who appear to have been free-born. Most were…
One of [the beauties] is Cotton ‘Ayni, a jasmine breastHer skin, like cotton, is delicate and moistHer body is a fresh sapling in the soul’s gardenHer mouth, of purest water, is a fountainI said, “Come to my breast,” said the heartbreaker,“What have fire and cotton to do together?” . —…
Personal Characteristics Professions A number of professions haven’t been featured in a personal name in the sources I’ve worked with, but they’re period terms that could be used in a personal name. Here are some professions drawn from the names of neighborhoods in Ankara in 1523 [ERDO 2005]: Replacements for…
In 1686, the Holy League retook Buda (Budapest) from the Ottomans. One document written in the aftermath lists some of the Ottoman prisoners of war, including several dozen janissaries. Although this is well after the SCA period, many of these names can be traced back to period, so I’ve listed…
These names are drawn from the Defter-i Mufassal-ı Livā-i Sivas, the 1574/1575 listing of every adult male (aged 15 and up) in Sivas Province and the taxes they owed. Sivas had a sizable Shi’ite population, as well as an Armenian population. Updated October 23, 2024.
These names were borne by a mix of free, enslaved, and converted women. Because of the data spread, the names couldn’t be conclusively placed in one category or another; there were too many freeborn women bearing them to declare that they were slave names, and too many slave women bearing…
These names were commonly given to slave women upon their conversion. While the occasional freeborn woman bore one of these names, to most people the name would strongly suggest that she was or had been a slave. Âfitâb: Persian, “sun.” Aynülhayât: The fountain of life. Bahtiyar Belagat Benefşe Canfedâ Cansever:…