The heir of a civilization spanning over a thousand years, the Turkish nation has attributed deep meaning to death and rituals shaped by death throughout history and has approached this process with a sacred and social dimension, especially in the context of religious beliefs. Burial traditions have changed over time; however, the architectural and artistic practices carried out after death have preserved their continuity in terms of social memory. After the Turks accepted Islam, a unique synthesis was formed between the old belief systems and the Islamic understanding, and this was directly reflected in the cemetery culture. The tradition of tombstones that developed in Anatolia has been shaped as symbolic areas where both individual and collective memory are embodied.

This tradition reached its peak during the Ottoman Empire, when the sultans’ tombs and the adjacent hazires became integral parts of both religious and public architecture. In these hazires, not only the members of the dynasty but also palace officials, state officials, the ulama class and palace members of various ranks were buried. Beyond being mere burial places, the hazires stand out as multi-layered spaces that reflect individuals’ social positions, religious affiliations, gender roles, and the artistic aesthetics of the period.

In this context, this study focuses on the hazire around the tomb of Sultan Mustafa III, the twenty-sixth of the Ottoman sultans, and aims to analyze the tombstones of women in this area, especially the representation of individuals in the position of concubines and servants. The main purpose of this study is to reveal how these women, who were in the lower classes in the Ottoman palace hierarchy, were commemorated after death through tombstone aesthetics.

Sultan Mustafa III was born on January 28, 1717, in Edirne as the son of Sultan Ahmed III and Mihrishah Amina Sultan and ascended to the Ottoman throne on October 30, 1757. Mustafa III, who succeeded his father, Ahmed III, after the short reigns of Mahmud I and Osman III, confronted important challenges in both domestic and foreign policy during his 17-year reign. Remembered for the suppression of bandit rebellions, the control of local notables (ayans), and some reform initiatives in the state administration, Mustafa III received the title of “ghazi” especially for the partial successes achieved in the Ottoman-Russian War in 1769. However, the Seven Years War between 1756 and 1763 and the subsequent lack of reforms led the Ottoman Empire into a politically and economically difficult period. Mustafa III died under these harsh conditions in 1774 and was buried in the tomb in the social complex he had built in the Laleli district of Istanbul.

Built between 1760 and 1764, this social complex is an important work reflecting the Ottoman interpretation of baroque architecture. The social complex is a multi-faceted complex of buildings consisting of a mosque, imaret, tomb, public fountain, muvakkithane (time-keeper house), inn, bathhouse (hamam) and shops. The social complex, the construction of which was started by the chief architect Kara Ahmed Agha, was later completed by Architect Mehmed Tahir. The tomb and the surrounding hazire, located in the south of this complex, constitute the main examination area of the study.

The hazire in question is located to the south of the Laleli Mosque and is separated from the commercial units of the complex by a high wall. On this wall, the Adilshah Kadın Fountain, dated 1804, attracts attention. In the middle of the fountain, there is a tomb of Adilshah Kadın covered with a bronze grid, and right next to this tomb is the door that provides access to the hazire. When entering through the gate, one reaches the hazire and the tomb of Mustafa III, which has an octagonal plan and is covered with a dome. Although the architecture of the tomb bears the influence of the baroque style, it is also occasionally blended with classical Ottoman architectural elements.

A total of 29 graves were identified in the hazire of the tomb that is the subject of the study. Twenty-six of these graves were identified as belonging to women and three to men. Within the scope of the research, 11 of these graves were examined in detail and systematically documented. During these examinations, both the epigraphic and typological analysis methods were used.

In the first phase of the fieldwork, the Ottoman inscriptions on the gravestones were meticulously read, and these texts were translated into modern Turkish. Epigraphic data are important elements that reveal the identities of the individuals, their social positions, religious attitudes and sometimes the stylistic preferences of the period. Through the inscriptions, the names, titles, death dates, and professional qualifications of the grave owners were determined. Then, each tombstone was evaluated from a typological perspective; the formal features of the stones, their capital forms and decorative elements were analyzed in detail in terms of style. With this method, the place of tombstones in the artistic understanding of the period was revealed, both aesthetically and functionally. 

As a result of the evaluations, it is confirmed that all the 11 gravestones belong to women. A significant number of these women have been identified as individuals directly related to the palace, based on the expressions and titles found on the stones. The descriptions and forms of address on the tombstones indicate that these women were concubines or servants in the palace. Particularly, titles such as “kadın” (woman), “kalfa”, and “çaşnigîr” (food taster) clearly reflect the duties and status of individuals in the palace. 

Among the analyzed tombstones, three of them contain expressions directly stating that they were the concubines of Selim III, one of the Ottoman sultans. These women were Nefise Hatun (date of death: 1809), Hüsnü Cinan (1843) and Safderun Hanım (1847). According to the inscriptions, these individuals were concubines who were under the patronage of Selim III's court and whose belongings were reflected on their tombstones after their deaths. Such direct connections reveal the relationships of the individuals in question not only with the palace but also with the central structure of the dynasty and show how women were represented through tombstones in Ottoman society.

Other tombstones belong to different palace servants and can mostly be identified by the titles or functional roles they bore. For instance, Defigam Kadın who died in 1810, Şerefnaz (1834), Fidan Hanım (1835), Fatima (1812) who was described as Selim III's servant, a servant who died in 1813 but whose name is unknown, Bedr-i Cihan (1825) who had the title of çaşnigîr, a person (who died in 1820) who was described as Pembe (Pink) Kalfa, and finally Sahba Kalfa who died in 1848 are included in this scope. The stones of these individuals contain inscriptions indicating their job descriptions or social belongings; this shows that these women were figures who played an active role in the functioning of the Ottoman palace system.

The tombstones in question can be considered as concrete manifestations of the respect shown to the palace women and servants in Ottoman tombstone art. The language used in the inscriptions and the taste of the period in the decorative styles show that these stones were not just simple burial signs; they were also approached with great care and sensitivity to the posthumous representations of the palace women. This situation reveals that in the Ottoman Empire, being remembered after death was important not only for the sultans or high-ranking statesmen but also for the women members and the servants of the palace.

All of these stones are dated to the 19th century, and the historical distribution of the graves coincides with the reigns of Mustafa IV, Mahmud II and Abdulmecid. Interestingly, only the name of Selim III is explicitly stated in some inscriptions; however, it is not specified which sultan the other women served. This is an important observation, especially in terms of the post-mortem representation of the distribution of duties within the palace and individual identities.

Three basic groupings have been made in terms of tombstone typologies: cover type, cist type and framed type. The stones consist of head and foot pillars and have a prismatic rectangular form and a structure that narrows from top to bottom. The headstones are decorated with inscriptions written in Ottoman Turkish; the inscriptions written in thuluth and talik calligraphy are sometimes included in the cartouches. Headgear is not used; instead, flowered or pointed hats are preferred. These choices of hats deviate from symbols such as the hat or fez frequently seen on classical women’s gravestones and indicate a different aesthetic understanding. 

These stones have a remarkable variety in terms of ornaments. There are detailed compositions such as acanthus leaves, depictions of roses and tulips emerging from vases, fruit bowls, date and tuba trees, sun disks, bows, wreath motifs and curtains. These elements reflect the influence of the baroque and especially the empire style, which was influential in Ottoman art in the late 18th century and the first half of the 19th century. In this context, these tombstones.

belonging to concubines and servants are closely related to the palace art of the period, not only aesthetically but also stylistically.

The inscriptions often begin with traditional prayer patterns, followed by the individuals' name, title, and sometimes information about whom they served. While some inscriptions are quite simple and short, some are crafted with literary style and artistic expressions. This diversity reveals that gravestones present not only social but also cultural narratives.

In conclusion, these tombstones located in the hazire of the tomb of Mustafa III are rare examples of how female servants and concubines in the Ottoman palace were represented after death. Although these individuals were at the lower levels of the social hierarchy, the aesthetic and artistic intensity on their tombstones reveals the importance attributed to them. These stones are multi-layered documents that simultaneously reflect the artistic trends, religious thought structure and social roles of the period.

This study draws attention to the monumental representation of female servants, who are often neglected in Ottoman historiography, and emphasizes the importance of preserving this cultural heritage and passing it on to future generations. Tombstones are not just piles of stones; they are a way to connect with the past, understand silent memory and re-read social identities.