Some Examples of Occult Practices in the Ottoman Empire

Abstract

From ancient times to the present day, people have turned to occult practices such as magic and magic in line with different desires and desires. As in all societies around the world, there were people among the Ottoman people who were engaged in witchcraft and aimed to gain material and spiritual gains in this way. In this study, witchcraft acts that turn into social problems within magical activities and can be considered extraordinary due to the methods used are discussed through case studies. In order to prevent public order problems arising from these witchcraft activities reported to the police-especially in the case of non-Muslims-there was no hesitation in imposing criminal sanctions on those deemed responsible. In this context, events such as the decapitation of a Christian dead person from the grave, cutting off the tongue of a dead person, sewing up the mouth of a live cat and burying it alive, and placing the Quran in an inappropriate place are examined in the light of the documents obtained from the Presidential State Archives Directorate Ottoman Archives (BOA) examined. © 2024, Osman Kose. All rights reserved.