OTTOMAN EMPIRE HAD SUCH A C.A. CULTURE
Did you know that the Ottoman Empire actually embodied more East/Central Asian culture than is commonly believed?
Art:
1 - Miniature Painting
The visual template for miniature painting in the Eastern world was established by the Uyghur Turks in the 8th century and reinforced by the Mongol invasions of the 13th century. In this early tradition, figures deemed sacred, noble, or beautiful were invariably depicted with slanted eyes and round faces. Contrary to the common belief that ottomans produced Arab or Persian-style miniatures, the Ottomans practiced the Central Asian art of miniature painting. Arab miniatures shifted toward Hellenistic and Mediterranean influences, incorporating local elements. Persian miniatures, meanwhile, evolved to feature more lyrical figures with almond-shaped eyes and a distinct aesthetic anatomy. The Ottoman palace *Nakkaşhane* (workshop of court painters) remained steadfastly loyal to this Uyghur-Mongol brushwork tradition, which traced its roots back to Central and East Asian art through the Seljuks. For the Ottomans, this drawing style signified respect for the established rules of art. While the Ottomans did align their miniature art more closely with Persian culture toward the 18th century, they predominantly preserved Central Asian cultural characteristics during their early and middle periods.
2 - Music
Musical culture in the Ottoman era was not limited to *Mehter* (Janissary band) marches. The *baglama*—an instrument rooted in Central and North Asian culture—was played across nearly every part of the Ottoman realm. The *baglama* is a sibling to the *dombra* (popular today) and shares the same ancestry; in Anatolia, the *kopuz* evolved into the *baglama*, which served to accompany many *uzun hava* (melismatic folk songs). The fact that the *baglama* remains the most significant Turkish musical instrument to this day demonstrates the extent to which the Ottomans preserved Central Asian musical culture.
Food Culture:
The Ottoman Empire consumed many dishes brought from Central and East Asia. The tradition of noodles—or thinly cut dough strips—originating in Central Asia was preserved even after the practice arrived in Anatolia.
In this study, prepared by food historian Priscilla Mary Işın through an examination of Ottoman archival documents, the concept of "rişte" (noodle)—as consumed in the palace—is described. The documents reveal that noodles prepared for palace banquets had to be cut as finely as thread (the Persian word *rişte* means "thread"), and that this ability was a key skill benchmark for the masters of the palace confectionary (*helvahane*) and kitchens.
15th-Century Ottoman Kitchen Records (Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özge Samancı): Studies on the kitchen ledgers from the era of Fatih Sultan Mehmet and subsequent periods confirm—through official accounting records—that as part of winter preparations (*şitâîlik*), the palace procured flour, eggs, and milk to produce tons of noodles; these were dried in cloth sacks and stored in pantries.
The culinary tradition of *mantı* (dumplings)—also originating from East and Central Asia—was preserved during the Ottoman era. Accounting records in the Topkapi Palace Archive’s Kitchen Ledger No. D. 9706 clearly document that Fatih Sultan Mehmet ate *mantı* almost daily during both *sahur* (the pre-dawn meal) and *iftar* (the fast-breaking meal) throughout the month of Ramadan in 1473.
The noodle dough strips found in *tutmaç* soup—a dish prepared from Ottoman times to the present day in Turkey—are not merely an imitation of or inspiration from East Asia; rather, they represent the continuation of a thousand-year-old history.
Language Culture:
The people of the Ottoman Empire lived not only in imperial cities like Istanbul but also in Turkmen villages across Anatolia, and many Proto-Turkic words originating from Central and North Asia were preserved. The Yörüks, in particular, have remarkably preserved their linguistic culture due to the geography they inhabit.
Here are some examples of genuine Turkic words—forgotten by the language of the Ottoman court but preserved by the Yörüks—that are still in use in Yörük villages today:
*Gövermek* / *Göverdi*: To sprout green grass; to turn green. (Derived from the Old Turkic root *Kök*/*Gök* [meaning blue/sky/green]; in courtly language, this was referred to as *Ahzar* or *Sebz*.)
*Soku*: A large stone mortar; a stone vessel used for pounding bulgur. (Its origins trace back to the Hun/Göktürk era.)
*Beti* / *Betiz*: Face, countenance, form. (In modern idioms like "*beti bereketi kaçtı*" [lost its vitality/blessing] or "*beti benzi attı*" [turned pale/lost color], the original meaning refers to facial features.)
Source: TDK Compilation Dictionary (Dictionary of Turkish Dialects)
Regarding genetics:
The global online debate surrounding Turkic DNA has begun to affect the mindset of many Turks.
Yet, people often overlook the fact that even ancient Turkic peoples possessed a genetic makeup blending Eastern and Western Eurasian elements; in Turkic history, identity was defined by culture, language, and shared history—not by genetics.
Nevertheless, studies have identified Ottoman Turks with up to 44% East Asian ancestry and 26% East Asian components, with the remainder being West Eurasian/Iranic (from Central Asia) and local Anatolian. Their genetic admixture is modeled as a blend of Medieval Turkic and local Anatolian lineages.
Indeed, the fact that DNA tests of many contemporary Yörüks reveal 25–30% or more Medieval Turkic ancestry is sufficient evidence in itself.
More For Genetics: https://www.reddit.com/r/ottomans/comments/1sh19fr/ottoman_empire_ottoman_turks_were_142_to_44_east/