Birûn (Ottoman Turkish:بیرون, from thePersian word for 'outside'[1]) was the term used in theOttoman Empire to designate the "Outer Service" of the imperial court, concerned with the public affairs of theOttoman sultans, as opposed to the private "Inner Service" (Enderûn).[2] Its name derives from the location of its offices in the outer court of theTopkapi Palace, which in turn echoed the arrangements of the palace inEdirne, the Ottomans' second capital.[3]
The scope of theBirûn was very extensive. As the OttomanistHalil İnalcık writes, "The Outside Service comprised all the organizations regulating the sultan's relations with the outside world, comprising governmental and ceremonial offices and the sultan's standing army".[4] TheBirûn included a number of senior officials, who had typically previously been enrolled as pages, educated in the palace school, and served in theEnderûn.[5] These were:
In addition, a special corps existed in themüteferrikas, sons of servingpashas or vassal rulers, who were enrolled in the Outer Service, received uniforms and pay, and participated in court ceremonies.[6]
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