16世紀後半のイスタンブルにおける飲酒行為と「禁酒令」

Abstract

It is well known that drinking alcoholic beverages and eating pork are religiously prohibited for Muslims. Devout Muslims have regarded drinking wine and other alcoholic beverage as an act that must be avoided at all costs in their daily lives. This basic Islamic principle regarding the consumption of alcohol can be understood as operating in the Ottoman Empire as well. Despite being the Ottoman capital, Istanbul, on the other hand, had in fact countless numbers of taverns throughout the city in the second half of the 16th century, particularly in Galata area where many Christians lived. Furthermore, it is also known that a large quantity of liquor circulated and was consumed there. In other words, in those spaces where drinking took place, it was not confined to non-Muslims such as Christians and Jews, but at times some Muslims also drank. But, in contrast, some research has pointed out that “Prohibitions of alcohol” (İçki yasağı) were frequently issued in Istanbul during this period. However, a close examination of the contents of historical sources recorded in the same period reveals that many of these “Prohibitions” differed considerably from the conventional view. These were never complete, absolute or permanent. In fact, the Ottoman government only temporarily limited the production, distribution, or consumption of alcoholic beverages in Istanbul and only as needed for practical reasons. Compared to the recent development of research in the social and economic history of the Ottoman Empire, studies of the circumstances surrounding alcohol consumption, particularly for pre-modern Istanbul, have lagged behind and are still very limited. This article describes various aspects of drinking behavior in the second half of the 16th century Istanbul, as well as the factors behind it and various regulations designed to control it using documents recorded by the Ottoman government, travel accounts and diaries written by foreigners.