Collections | Music, Literature, Dance and Fashion | Literature | Religious festivals, theatre and drama in Arab and Ottoman lands [7 Objects, 2 Monuments]

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Introduction to the Chapter

Karagöz and Hacivat Shadow Play

Bursa Karagöz Museum

Bursa, Turkey

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 Justification for this item

Shadow plays were popular among Arab and Ottoman audiences. The performances retold epics from popular folk literature.

Karagöz and Hacivat Shadow Play

Bursa Karagöz Museum

Bursa, Turkey

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Portrait of Ahmad Faris al-Shidyaq

19th century

“A`lam fi Zakirat Lubnan”

Ba`abda, Lebanon

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 Justification for this item

Ahmad Faris al-Shidyaq (1804‒87) was born to a Maronite family in Lebanon. During the early part of his career, collaborating with Dr Samuel Lee to translate the Bible into Arabic, he worked in Egypt, Malta and London. In 1855, al-Shidyaq moved to Tunis to become editor of Al-Rai’d al-Tunisi, the country’s national newspaper. He then left to go to Istanbul to take up a post as corrector of the Government Press, where he also launched his weekly Arabic-language magazine Al-Jawa’ib.

Portrait of Ahmad Faris al-Shidyaq

19th century

“A`lam fi Zakirat Lubnan”

Ba`abda, Lebanon

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Dolmabahçe Palace Theatre under construction

1857

Ömer M. Koç Collection

Istanbul, Turkey

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 Justification for this item

“Formal” theatre, whether drama, ballet or musical, was another European-inspired importation. Created for the elite and patronised by them, theatres were often created as annexes to palatial complexes in Ottoman lands, such as those established at Yıldız and Dolmabahçe for exclusive patrons.

Dolmabahçe Palace Theatre under construction

1857

Ömer M. Koç Collection

Istanbul, Turkey

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Dolmabahçe Palace

Hegira 1272 / AD 1856

Dolmabahçe, İstanbul, Turkey

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 Justification for this item

“Formal” theatre, whether drama, ballet or musical, was another European-inspired importation. Created for the elite and patronised by them, theatres were often created as annexes to palatial complexes in Ottoman lands, such as those established at Yıldız and Dolmabahçe for exclusive patrons.

Dolmabahçe Palace

Hegira 1272 / AD 1856

Dolmabahçe, İstanbul, Turkey

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Yıldız Palace Theatre

1889

Istanbul, Turkey

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 Justification for this item

“Formal” theatre, whether drama, ballet or musical, was another European-inspired importation. Created for the elite and patronised by them, theatres were often created as annexes to palatial complexes in Ottoman lands, such as those established at Yıldız and Dolmabahçe for exclusive patrons.

Brass head of flagpole

Early 20th century

Jordan Museum for Costumes and Jewellery, Department of Antiquities

Amman, Jordan

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 Justification for this item

Brass head of a flagpole used in religious processions associated with the Nabi Musa Festival.

Brass head of flagpole

Early 20th century

Jordan Museum for Costumes and Jewellery, Department of Antiquities

Amman, Jordan

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Brass head of flagpole

Early 20th century

Jordan Museum for Costumes and Jewellery, Department of Antiquities

Amman, Jordan

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 Justification for this item

The head of a brass standard in the form of a crescent, under which people rallied during religious festivities.

Brass head of flagpole

Early 20th century

Jordan Museum for Costumes and Jewellery, Department of Antiquities

Amman, Jordan

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Brass head of flagpole

Early 20th century

Jordan Museum for Costumes and Jewellery, Department of Antiquities

Amman, Jordan

See Database Entry

 Justification for this item

Brass head of flagpole used in religious processions associated with the Nabi Musa Festival.

Brass head of flagpole

Early 20th century

Jordan Museum for Costumes and Jewellery, Department of Antiquities

Amman, Jordan

See Database Entry

Costume for Cleopatra in the Ballets Russes production of Cléopâtre, 1918

1918

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

Los Angeles, United States of America

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 Justification for this item

Ballets Russes, also known as the Russian Ballet, was an itinerant company that performed between 1909 and 1929 throughout Europe and America. The company’s many productions included Cleopatra and Boris Godunov, among many other tales from Russian and international folklore.

Costume for Cleopatra in the Ballets Russes production of Cléopâtre, 1918

1918

Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA)

Los Angeles, United States of America

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Introduction to the Chapter