16. ve 17. Yüzyıl Osmanlı Seyahatnamelerinde Dokuma Terimleri Üzerine Bir İnceleme
A Study of Weaving Terms in 16th and 17th Century Ottoman Travel Books

Summary/Abstract: Travelogues written between the 15th and 18th centuries serve as invaluable primary sources for understanding the economic, cultural, and social structures of the Ottoman geography. These texts not only record geographical and political observations but also document in detail the production and trade of textiles—an essential element of material culture. Woven products such as carpets, silk, kaftans, and seraser fabrics stood out as both economic commodities and cultural symbols in Ottoman society. This study aims to reveal the economic and cultural significance of Ottoman textile culture through the eyes of foreign travelers by analyzing the frequency and contextual use of textile-related keywords (carpet, kilim, silk, fabric, weave, cloth, linen, wool, velvet, cotton, kaftan, seraser, cushion) in selected travelogues from the period. The research question is formulated as follows: “How do 15th–18th century travelogues reflect Ottoman textile culture through the eyes of travelers, and what economic, social, and symbolic meanings do they attribute to textile products?” To answer this question, methods such as word frequency analysis and contextual interpretation were employed.

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