 | This articleneeds additional citations forverification. Please helpimprove this article byadding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Sublime Porte" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(July 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
TheSublime Porte, also known as theOttoman Porte orHigh Porte (Ottoman Turkish:باب عالی,romanized: Bâb-ı Âlî orBabıali;Turkish pronunciation:[baːbɯˈaːliː]), was ametonymy used to refer collectively to thecentral government of theOttoman Empire inIstanbul. It is particularly referred to the building which housed the office of theGrand Vizier,Ministry of Foreign Affairs,Ministry of the Interior, and theSupreme Council of Judicial Ordinances.[1] Today it houses theoffice of the Istanbul governerate.
The name has its origins in the old practice in which the ruler announced his official decisions and judgements at the gate of his palace.[2] This was the practice in theByzantine Empire and it was also adopted byOttoman Turk sultans sinceOrhan I. The palace of the sultan, or the gate leading to it, therefore became known as the "High Gate". This name referred first to a palace inBursa, Turkey. After the Ottomans had conqueredConstantinople, nowIstanbul, the gate now known as the Imperial Gate (Turkish:Bâb-ı Hümâyûn), leading to the outermost courtyard of theTopkapı Palace, first became known as the "High Gate", or the "Sublime Porte".[2][3]
When SultanSuleiman the Magnificent sealedan alliance with KingFrancis I of France in 1536, the French diplomats walked through the monumental gate then known asBâb-ı Âlî (nowBâb-ı Hümâyûn) in order to reach the Vizierate of Constantinople, seat of the Sultan's government.[citation needed] French being the language of diplomacy, the French translationSublime Porte was soon adopted in most other European languages, including English, to refer not only to the actual gate but as a metonymy for the Ottoman Empire.[4][additional citation(s) needed]
In the 18th century, a new great Italian-styled office building was built just west ofTopkapı Palace area, on the other side of Alemdar Caddesi (Alemdar street). This became the location of theGrand Vizier and many ministries. Thereafter, this building, and the monumental gate leading to its courtyards, became known as the Sublime Porte (Bâb-ı Âlî);[5] colloquially it was also known as the Gate of thePasha (paşa kapusu).[2][6] The building was rebuilt following a fire in 1839,[1] and badly damaged by another fire in 1911.[6] Today, the buildings house theIstanbul Governor's Office.[5]
"Sublime Porte" was used in the context ofdiplomacy byWestern states, as their diplomats were received at theporte (meaning "gate"). During theSecond Constitutional Era of the Empire after 1908 (seeYoung Turk Revolution), the functions of the classicalDivan-ı Hümayun were replaced by the reformedImperial Government, and "porte" came to refer to theForeign Ministry. During this period, the office of theGrand Vizier came to refer to the equivalent to that of aprime minister, and viziers became members of the Grand Vizier'scabinet asgovernment ministers.[citation needed]
| Central system |
| .svg) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ||||||||||||||
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
41°0′40″N28°58′41″E / 41.01111°N 28.97806°E /41.01111; 28.97806
