Karagoz and Hacivat

Hacivat and Karagöz play is a two-dimensional shadow play based on mutual conversation and imitation.

There are many rumors about whether these two characters actually lived, but the closest to the truth dates back to the first years of the Ottoman Empire.

It is the story of the characters of Halil Hacı İvaz (Hacivat), who worked in the construction of a mosque in Bursa during the Orhan Gazi period, and Kambur Bali Çelebi (Karagöz), a blacksmith from the village of Samakol in Thrace.

Hacivat and Karagöz, who work in the construction of the mosque, do not work enough themselves, and they prevent other workers from working because of their games based on funny dialogues. Workers would gather around them and listen to the imitation and rhyming conversations between them and laugh. Construction wouldn't go ahead because of their impromptu show.

Then, if the construction of Orhan Gazi Mosque is not completed before the appointed day, he said to them, "If the mosque is not completed on time, I will take your head" and the mosque will not be completed on time. Hacivat and Karagöz are held responsible for not completing the mosque construction on time and they are executed by beheading.

Seyh Küsteri, who loves Karagöz and Hacivat very much and is very sorry for their deaths, starts making puppets and playing them behind the scenes after their deaths. In this way, the shadow play of Hacivat and Karagöz is recognized and has survived from the 14th century to the present day.

As I said above, this is not a definite information, there are different narrations on this subject. The two did not attract the attention of historians because they were not well known when they lived. Their movements and ways of speaking have made them the most important characters of the shadow play theater.

There are different rumors about how and where the shadow play theater came to the Ottoman lands.

• First opinion; Yavuz Sultan was brought to Anatolia from there during Selim's conquest of Egypt.

• The second opinion: It is that it came to Anatolia by the Gypsies from India.

• Third opinion; It was brought by the Jews from Spain and Portugal.

• Fourth opinion; The shadow play, which passed from China to the Mongols, is that it was brought by the Turks who migrated from Central Asia to Anatolia. The puppet play called "Çadır Hayal" or "Kolchaks" in tents in Central Asia bears similarities with the Hacivat and Karagöz plays.

It is a form of show that I found quite entertaining in my childhood and that I watched by going to shadow theaters at every opportunity. Although there are different characters in the shadow plays exhibited, the most memorable names and plays are Hacivat and Karagöz. The most entertaining and funny characters of the Ramadan months in the past have been an important source of entertainment for different generations at certain times.

I can guess that there are similar shadow play characters in many countries, maybe there are characters created for important personalities in the history of every country. They may be made up of imaginary characters who have actually lived or never lived, but do they contain both sadness and comedy as much as "Hacivat and Karagöz"? This place may contain an obscurity. Like the unknowns in their lives.

I leave you a short video so that you can get an idea of ​​the shadow play of Hacivat and Karagöz. Since the voice-overs are in Turkish, those who do not know Turkish may not understand it, but the displayed shadow play will help you get an idea.

Thank you for reading.