In the Ottoman Empire, numerous executions, whether by the common people or by the sultan’s own family, took place at the Topkapi Palace in modern-day Istanbul. The silent walls of the palace witnessed many criminals.
The chase called “death race” that we will talk about used to start in Topkapı and end in Kumkapı. Let’s look at the details of this interesting execution method, which lasted for about 20 years from the end of the 18th century to the beginning of the 19th century.
Execution methods in the Ottoman Empire varied according to social status and gender.
The method of execution of people in the Ottoman Empire was not only directly related to their position in the society, but also differed according to their gender. For example, “ordinary people” who had not committed such a heinous crime as being impaled or hanged to death by one of the more painful forms of execution were simply beheaded.
In contrast, higher-ranking persons such as viziers and royalty usually; he was strangled either with the bare hands of the executioner, with a string of a bow, or with a silk handkerchief. After death, the body was usually thrown into the sea. As for women; some high-ranking inmates were destined to be tied up in weighted sacks and thrown into the sea while alive.
At that time, body parts were standing at the gate of Topkapi Palace.
Topkapi Palace served as the sultan’s main residence, and according to some sources, the severed heads and piles of other severed body parts (nose, ears, tongue…) of recently killed criminals were displayed at the palace’s front door.
Despite numerous executions in the sultan’s palace (it is estimated that more than 30,000 people were executed there during Sultan Selim I alone’s short eight-year reign in the 16th century), there were no officials. Only the executioner was entrusted with this seemingly never-ending task.
In common words; gardeners “pruned” criminals.
The execution of the executions usually fell to one of the so-called gardeners of the palace, but if this person was in a very high position, the execution was carried out by the gardener of the palace. In short, they “pruned” criminals.
Except this; They functioned in various ways as bodyguard, police and security for the palace when needed, and several thousand gardeners were on staff at any given time.
The color of the sherbet served to criminals was a harbinger of what would happen to them.
Criminals to be executed on the palace grounds were informed on the day of their execution with a sugary drink made with iced sherbet. This drink; presented to the accused three days after appearing in court. The color of the drink would be indicative of the court decision. While white was the color of forgiveness, red was the color of death.
High officials such as grand viziers still had some hope, as many of those given red sherbet were killed by a gardener soon after. Bostancıbaşı had these people race through the gardens to the 300-meter execution place next to the Fish Market Gate on the south side of the palace. If the fleeing person finished the race in front of the head gardener, his sentence was reduced to simple exile.
There were also people who beat the head gardener. A well-known name even received an award.
According to historians, based on known documented examples, very few people managed to beat the bostancıbaşı in the race. Losing prisoners would drown immediately upon reaching the gate. This is not surprising given that the executioner knows the inside of the palace and is in a more advantageous position than the victim.
For the exceptional few who managed to defeat the head gardener, things sometimes went better than simply being exiled. For example; The last person known to have won this race was Grand Vizier Hacı Salih Pasha in 1822. Far from being pardoned for the respect he had earned with his unexpected victory, which was said to be somewhat “impressive”, he was killed and became governor of Damascus.
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