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An Interpretation Regarding Itriand The Ottoman Civilisationin the 300. Year of Itri’s Deathby Prof. Dr. Sadettin OKTEN*Architecture, poetry, calligraphy and music… Sinan in architecture, Fuzuli in poetry, Karahisari in calligraphy, andItri in music. If we interpret all these with a civilizational point of view, we can easily notice that they all are cornerstones. They take the ancient thing, and express it with a new style. This is what they do. We see this clearly inarchitecture. As a result of this, a pool of values and emotions come into being in the description of civilizations.I myself am not a musicologist. I do have the passion andcuriosity for music, but with a wider point of view, I am aseeker of civilisations. For this reason, my words are notscientific. They are emotional, subjective, and they belongto me. So, I will express my opinions about Itri, the placehe lived, the universal and local dimensions of that place,and Itri’s contributions to the place, or the contributions ofthat place to Itri ETC, on a different ground.Itri was born in Istanbul in around 1640. I’m trying todescribe the Istanbul of 1640. When the sky was filledwith blue clouds, a person was born into the world in acertain location. He certainly had inborn talents. But ofcourse, the influence of the location is very important aswell. Even beyond the location, he was deeply influencedby the city he is brought up in. If we need to find a placefor the Istanbul of 1640 both within the framework ofthe Ottoman Empire, and among the other cities in theworld at that time, I think that Istanbul was then the centerof the world. In my opinion, the world had notknown such a city yet. Like the Bagdad, the ancientAthens, or the Istanbul of a certain time.In the modern time, we can see differentcenters in the World. Everyone has a differenttaste, and noone can replaceLondon with Paris, or Paris with NewYork. Everyone can choose the tastethey like. Istanbul, though, was thecenter of trade, agriculture, crafts,arts, manners and law, and especiallyscience and thought, and Itri wasraised in this city, namely in the historicalpeninsula.How was he raised? He received trainingwithin the framework of his talents. Inthose times, children used to have trainingin accordance with their talents. Itrireceives special education as well. Youcan find the details in books. I, however,want to say something different in this article. I’ve preparedmy article according to the knowledge I have acquired,and written it down. Of course, if musicologists,sociologists and historians of music find different results,my assumptions will no longer be valid. But for the timebeing, I am trying to express my opinions in accordancewith the knowledge I have.The old classical Ottoman education was one to one education.There was a student and a master. After the lessonwas passed, an authorisation would be given, which is animportant point. Also, the education was not limited toone single field. Students used to be educated in the popularlypreferred fields of that time. The talented student,though, would specialise in one of them. As a generalrule, Itri’s education continued with private masters. In addition,however, there is a special occasion. Itri also attendsa Mevlevi Lodge. Here we see another aspect. Mevlevism,Mevlevi lodges, Great Mevlana, and the sect founded byhis successors. The Influence of this sect in the culturalWorld of the Ottoman Empire, its fields ofinfluence, and the influences it received.Mevlevism is an Anatolian sect. Its foundationis already known, it is a sect developedparalel to a political adventure. Great Mevlanadied in 1273. The Anatolian Seljukiscollapsed after this date. So, we can saythat this sect was very engaged in thepolitical situation of the Empire. The Ottomanterritories of that time was thecenter of the ancient World. There thesects developped a Sufi understandingand application.Today, for instance, the Sufi perceptionstill exists, but the application does not.Today, Turks have a capitalist mindset,but there still are some who feel spirituallymistical. This was not the case at theaforementioned time.Itrî's illustration placed behind 100 TL64