Elite Residences of the Ottoman Provinces at the Boundary of Private and Public Space: An Evaluation of Several Mansions Belonging to the Hazinedarzade Family of the Eastern Black Sea

Abstract

Beginning in the sixteenth century, when the central authority of the Ottoman State started to
weaken, notable provincial families (ayan) significantly increased their influence and initiated
a period often referred to as the “age of the ayans” by gaining administrative, military, and
economic power in many cities of Anatolia. One of the regions where these families were
particularly influential was the Black Sea region, where the Hazinedarzade family established
a strong dominance in the area they governed for nearly half a century from the late eighteenth
century onward. In addition to the waqf-based public services they provided, the family also
displayed their power through the magnificent mansions they commissioned or purchased.
Sometimes used as government residences, these buildings are noteworthy for the ways in
which, through their scale, architectural language, and location, they projected representation
toward both the private and public spheres. In this context, the present study aims to evaluate
such representational strategies embodied in residences built by Ottoman provincial elites
through several mansions belonging to the Hazinedarzade family.