Akademik Veri Yönetim Sistemi
Osmanlı Mirası Araştırmaları Dergisi, sa.8, ss.315-331, 2021 (Hakemli Dergi)
Even though themes such as occult sciences, a fixation on the metaphysical, magic, demons, and the devil are mentioned in both state-centered documents and diaries or travelogue texts in Ottoman historiography, these concepts have not yet been closely examined as the research subjects of historians. To scrutinize the connection between the rational mind and the irrational, it is necessary to analyze the effects of occult sciences on oral culture in early modern Ottoman society. In this context, stories of treasures appear as narratives that are linked to both the above ground and underground worlds. Why do similar stories of treasure narratives emerge in a vast empire, despite the changes in time and place? This article seeks answers to this question based on the ideas of “intertextuality” and “plurality of truth” on the one hand, and on the other hand, describes elements such as the way traditional people imagine/envision a treasure, the way treasures are hidden, and the possibility that they could be unearthed by occult sciences. The points where treasure narratives intersect, the emotional spirals of treasure hunters and the state's perspective are examined through various archival sources, especially the Mühimme registers of the 16th century.