Karagöz (“Black Eye”) and Hacivat are that the name of the traditional Turkish shadow puppet theater.
The legend of Karagöz is alleged to possess begun in Bursa when two men engaged on construction of the Ulu Cami in 1396 would perform impromptu comedy routines. They became very talked about with the opposite workers, who would stop work to look at their antics. This slowed the progress of construction, and when the sultan heard of it, he condemned the 2 men, Karagöz and Hacivat, to death.
So the legend goes. Whatever may have happened to the comedians, the shadow show supported their jokes, pranks, fights, intrigues, stupidities and camaraderie survives and prospers to the present day in Bursa and across Turkey.
Shadow puppets are flat figures cut from camel or donkey leather, oiled to form them translucent, then perforated and painted, and mounted perpendicularly at the top of sticks. A white sheet is hung as a screen, a robust light put behind it, and also the puppets, pressed gently to the light-source side of the sheet, are animated by means of the sticks within the hands of a puppeteer.
A talented puppeteer can make the figures walk and dance, jump and fight, nod and laugh.
Over the centuries the 2 original characters are joined by a number of others, animals additionally as humans. The puppets play between two traditional Turkish houseswith second-story windows from which the irate wives of the comedians can berate them for his or her mischief.
The list of plays is long, and includes many set pieces that will are familiar to generations of the Ottoman sultans’ subjects. Themes range across the theatrical spectrum: love, jealousy, oneupmanship, rivalry and very often ribaldry.
Shadow plays were often performed in coffeehouses, parks and other public places. Sexual and scatological jokes and pranks may well be tempered when children were present, but given a full airing for an adult audience.
Today the Karagöz shadow puppet show is carried on in Bursa by Mr Şinasi Çelikkol, owner of Karagöz Antikacı, an antiques shop within the Eski Aynali Çarsi section of Bursa’s Covered Bazaar.
Sinasi Bey even encompasses a small shadow puppet theater founded in his shop so he can give impromptu performancesof Karagöz plays for visitors. He also sells the hand-made shadow puppets and lots of other traditional Turkish handicraft items.
