Emotions and the sixteenthcentury Ottoman carnival of animals

In this chapter, I will explore some aspects of the emotional engagement of Ottoman elites with animals in sixteenth-century Istanbul. To do so, I will analyse various emotional responses directed towards animals as depicted in The Imperial Book of Festival (Surname-i Hümayun), a manuscript text dedicated to the description of a royal Ottoman festival held in Istanbul in 1582.1. Traditionally, the Ottomans marked special political occasions by throwing lavish festivals.2 In 1582, such a celebration was held in honour of the circumcision of Sultan Murad III’s (r. 1574-1595) sixteen-year-old son, Prince Mehmet, later to become Sultan Mehmet III (r. 1595-1603). The festival lasted for more than fty days and nights while its main events took place at the ancient Byzantine Hippodrome (Atmeydanı) in Istanbul. The ocial programme of the event included formal receptions, an exchange of gifts, ostentatious feasts and rework displays. In addition, a variety of entertainments given by the Empire’s most talented artists demonstrated their skills for the pleasure of their audience. Among them there were rope dancers, acrobats, tumblers, jesters, jugglers, wrestlers, musicians, jockeys and animal trainers who interacted with exotic as well as domesticated animals, to the amazement of their audience.