Nişancı was a high post inOttoman bureaucracy. The Turkish wordnişancı literally means "court calligrapher" or "sealer", as the original duty of thenişancı was to seal royal precepts.
Although the post of the court calligrapher was established during the reign ofOrhan (1324–1361), the namenişancı came into use during the reign ofMurat II (1421–1451). According to the law ofMehmet II (1451–1481), thenişancı was a member of thedivan (Ottoman government). Beginning in the mid-18th century, the post lost its former importance, and in 1836, it was abolished.[1]
Thenişancı was responsible for sealing theprecepts of thesultan and thegrand vizier. Thenişancı was also responsible in supervising the divan's archives and keeping the records of thetimar system (lands granted and taxation authority by the Ottoman sultans to bureaucrats andsipahi soldiers in return for their services). Up until the 17th century, the post ofnişancı was also the equivalent of foreign minister. However, during the reign ofMehmet IV (1648–1687),reisülküttap (literally "the chief of clerks"), a post previously subordinate to that of thenişancı, replacednişancı as theOttoman Empire's foreign ministry.[2]
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