Figures of the Karagoz stage

"I am a camel skin. You know, simply the skin of a camel, otherwise known as the dhow of the Arabian desert. I was rendered transparent by a special process. Well, almost transparent - perhaps, translucent would be a better term. My master uttered "Bismillah" (In the name of Allah) and with a pencil drew the figure of a man. By the term "man" I do not mean any ordinary mortal that you meet on the street. This one is wearing a hat with flowers, has a beard, has arched eyebrows and the look of a desert gazelle. His right hand is stuck to his chin, while his left is swinging in the best manner of a scalliwag kind of fellow with a narrow waist. If you only saw his slit coat and shoes tied with a bow knot, you would fall in love with him immediately. But, let's not digress. He cut me with a curved knife.



My master is truly competent. Yes, there is no doubt about that. He painted me with natural dyes with such artistry that I couldn't recognize myself.
"Karagöz is an illiterate public figure. He speaks with the dialect of the common folk. He is truthful and doesn't mince his words. Though this characteristic occassionally gets him into hot water, he emerges unscathed in the end never losing his exuberance.

Hacivat's personality is the exact opposite of Karagöz. He's very organized and meticulous. He studied at school and is well-versed in literature, music and theology. He is also a trickster

What they call a "shadow play"

According to written sources, the "shadow play" first emerged in China and Indonesia around 140 B.C. It is assumed that the Chinese passed it on to the Mongolians, whereas the Turks acquired the play from the Mongolians. With their figures, clothing and philosophy, Karagoz and his sidekick Hacivat epitomize typical Anatolian Turks. According to the legend, Karagoz and Hacivat were workers on a construction site of a mosque in Bursa on the orders of Ottoman Sultan Orhan Bey. Karagoz was an ironmonger and Hacivat, a mason. These two cajolers amused the other workers so much that they ended up sitting around, watching the two clowning, thus the construction was subsequently delayed. The Sultan was annoyed and had them beheaded, but later on deeply regretted his decision to the point of melancholy. This shadow play was concocted to repeat the jokes of the two characters as well as to alleviate the sorrow of the Sultan.