Ottoman illustrations from the late 1700s-early 1800s depicting gay sex

[Negonoia]

These were taken from a Turkish translation of an Arabic erotic manual attributed to the Egyptian author al-Tifashi (d. 1253), who was a scholar of sexual hygiene and mineralogy. The manuscript belongs to a genre of erotic literature known in Turkish as bahname (combining the Arabic word bah which means sexual desire/lust/libido with the Persian name which means book/treatise). In the Ottoman Empire, the genre dates back as far as the fifteenth century, appearing mainly in the form of older texts translated from Persian and Arabic

“Scenes of Intercourse between European Men”

The men in these scenes can be identified from the notes written in red. The upper miniature shows a Polish man penetrating a German/Austrian, while the lower miniature depicts a Russian and a Dutchman.

The manuscript contains eleven other similar homoerotic miniatures featuring male archetypes from Europe and the Ottoman Empire (Spaniards, Greeks, Turks and Syrians, etc.). The text on the surrounding pages discusses the beauty and qualities of the different peoples. The illustrations seem to be inspired by the period’s non-erotic ‘costume albums’, which were popular with both locals and foreigners in Istanbul.

“Chain Manoeuvre”

The manuscript contains several different tales of homosexuality. In one of these, the protagonist meets a young man in a palace garden. The youth initiates him into the joys of homoeroticism by introducing him to sixteen different positions, which are meticulously described and illustrated. At one point, the narrator is introduced to a group of the young man’s friends, and together they perform a complicated position involving ten participants: the zincir sekişi (chain manoeuvre).

In Ottoman erotic literature, a distinction is made between women, men and beardless youths, with the latter constituting what almost amounts to a separate gender until adulthood. According to the logic of this literature, it was not unmanly to have sex with a youth, as long as you assumed the active, penetrating role. By contrast, love and sex between adult men is a rather more marginalised topic in this literature.

However, this and several other miniatures in the present manuscript break away from the usual logic as they clearly depict adult, bearded men having sex with each other. In this miniature we even see the active-passive dichotomy being dissolved entirely.

“Courtiers Amusing Themselves”

This miniature is also part of the story of the sixteen sex positions. While the story is set in the Syrian city of Raqqa in the ninth century, the illustrations are unmistakably Ottoman. So-called ‘costume albums’ from the period make it possible to identify several of the men in this miniature as Ottoman officials and courtiers. Furthermore, the man in the blue robe appears to be manuscript’s presumed patron, who also appears in the tavern scene and in the final portrait.

 

[Negonoia]

“Spilling the Wine”

This was taken from the 19th-century book Sawaqub al-Manaquib which is a hagiographical source on Naushah Ganj Bakhsh and his descendants

 

[jjonn3]

I always find it interesting how in many places homosexuality was more accepted in ancient history than it was 50 years ago in our Puritan based United States.

Also curious - the depictions you included here are all anal sex - I wonder if the prints or descriptions in the book also involve oral or if it is just penetrative?

In Ottoman erotic literature, a distinction is made between women, men and beardless youths, with the latter constituting what almost amounts to a separate gender until adulthood. According to the logic of this literature, it was not unmanly to have sex with a youth, as long as you assumed the active, penetrating role. By contrast, love and sex between adult men is a rather more marginalised topic in this literature.

That is very similar to how ancient Greece and Rome presented homosexuality.

 

[Negonoia]

I always find it interesting how in many places homosexuality was more accepted in ancient history than it was 50 years ago in our Puritan based United States.

Also curious - the depictions you included here are all anal sex - I wonder if the prints or descriptions in the book also involve oral or if it is just penetrative?



That is very similar to how ancient Greece and Rome presented homosexuality.

Yeah I'm realizing that across cultures there was usually a "it's cool as long as you're the top" attitude towards gay sex up until like the mid/late 1800s

From what I understand artists didn't have much of an interest in depicting oral sex

 

[Negonoia]

“A Sodomite Disgraced”

This illustration is attributed to either Heyrullah Heyri Çavuszade or Khayr Allah Khayri Jawush Zadah and was published around 1721 in a book called Hamsa/Hamse (or Khamsa, which is Arabic for five/quintet), a collection of five poems by Ottoman Turkish poet and scholar 'Ata'ullah bin Yahyá 'Ata'i, also known as Atai (who died around 1641). His work drew inspiration from the famous Persian Khamsah of Nizami Ganjavi (died 1209) and the Khamsah of Amir Khusrau (died 1325).

The illustration depicts a sodomite being disgraced before a crowd by drums and a Turkish wind instrument known as zurna.

 

[Negonoia]

One two erotic scenes attributed to Ottoman court painter Abdullah Buhari circa 1743

 

[BiBtm64]

It's fascinating to see these showing such explicit scenes from an Islamic culture. Most seem to show a norm while the "Sodomite Disgraced" shows shaming of what I assume was prohibited or shunned. Maybe it's showing a change of attitudes over time?

I'm interested in hearing about how these were allowed/accepted to be depicted and shown in a Muslim empire - I understand anal sex is prohibited in mainstream Sunni Islam by a hadith specifically prohibiting it. Do they point to more relaxed attitudes centuries ago that changed over time?

 

[jjonn3]

Yeah I'm realizing that across cultures there was usually a "it's cool as long as you're the top" attitude towards gay sex up until like the mid/late 1800s

From what I understand artists didn't have much of an interest in depicting oral sex

That sounds like when I was first fooling around with guys.

However there is still a lot of that attitude in "no females available / no options" situations like the military, prisons, all boys schools where there is often situational gay sex with people saying they are only doing it because they don't have women around.

 

[Negonoia]

It's fascinating to see these showing such explicit scenes from an Islamic culture. Most seem to show a norm while the "Sodomite Disgraced" shows shaming of what I assume was prohibited or shunned. Maybe it's showing a change of attitudes over time?

I'm interested in hearing about how these were allowed/accepted to be depicted and shown in a Muslim empire - I understand anal sex is prohibited in mainstream Sunni Islam by a hadith specifically prohibiting it. Do they point to more relaxed attitudes centuries ago that changed over time?

By all accounts gay sex in general wasn't looked at as ideal but at the same time the powers that be didn't actively try to persecute men who had sex with men until the 19th century when governments started conforming/adjusting to Western ideals of how a man should behave

 

[frankifab]

I loved seeing this
it would be wonderful if a porn studio attempted recreating the " zincir sekişi "

That was my favourite drawing , and it would look arousing to see in real life

 

[jjonn3]

“A Sodomite Disgraced”

This illustration is attributed to either Heyrullah Heyri Çavuszade or Khayr Allah Khayri Jawush Zadah and was published around 1721 in a book called Hamsa/Hamse (or Khamsa, which is Arabic for five/quintet), a collection of five poems by Ottoman Turkish poet and scholar 'Ata'ullah bin Yahyá 'Ata'i, also known as Atai (who died around 1641). His work drew inspiration from the famous Persian Khamsah of Nizami Ganjavi (died 1209) and the Khamsah of Amir Khusrau (died 1325).

The illustration depicts a sodomite being disgraced before a crowd by drums and a Turkish wind instrument known as zurna.

I love that they brought a band to disgrace the sodomites!

 

[Qosmonauty]

These were taken from a Turkish translation of an Arabic erotic manual attributed to the Egyptian author al-Tifashi (d. 1253), who was a scholar of sexual hygiene and mineralogy. The manuscript belongs to a genre of erotic literature known in Turkish as bahname (combining the Arabic word bah which means sexual desire/lust/libido with the Persian name which means book/treatise). In the Ottoman Empire, the genre dates back as far as the fifteenth century, appearing mainly in the form of older texts translated from Persian and Arabic

“Scenes of Intercourse between European Men”

The men in these scenes can be identified from the notes written in red. The upper miniature shows a Polish man penetrating a German/Austrian, while the lower miniature depicts a Russian and a Dutchman.

The manuscript contains eleven other similar homoerotic miniatures featuring male archetypes from Europe and the Ottoman Empire (Spaniards, Greeks, Turks and Syrians, etc.). The text on the surrounding pages discusses the beauty and qualities of the different peoples. The illustrations seem to be inspired by the period’s non-erotic ‘costume albums’, which were popular with both locals and foreigners in Istanbul.

“Chain Manoeuvre”

The manuscript contains several different tales of homosexuality. In one of these, the protagonist meets a young man in a palace garden. The youth initiates him into the joys of homoeroticism by introducing him to sixteen different positions, which are meticulously described and illustrated. At one point, the narrator is introduced to a group of the young man’s friends, and together they perform a complicated position involving ten participants: the zincir sekişi (chain manoeuvre).

In Ottoman erotic literature, a distinction is made between women, men and beardless youths, with the latter constituting what almost amounts to a separate gender until adulthood. According to the logic of this literature, it was not unmanly to have sex with a youth, as long as you assumed the active, penetrating role. By contrast, love and sex between adult men is a rather more marginalised topic in this literature.

However, this and several other miniatures in the present manuscript break away from the usual logic as they clearly depict adult, bearded men having sex with each other. In this miniature we even see the active-passive dichotomy being dissolved entirely.

“Courtiers Amusing Themselves”

This miniature is also part of the story of the sixteen sex positions. While the story is set in the Syrian city of Raqqa in the ninth century, the illustrations are unmistakably Ottoman. So-called ‘costume albums’ from the period make it possible to identify several of the men in this miniature as Ottoman officials and courtiers. Furthermore, the man in the blue robe appears to be manuscript’s presumed patron, who also appears in the tavern scene and in the final portrait.

Thanks for this meticulous review of a mostly forgotten and nearly lost glimpse at history

 

[Negonoia]

A miniature from the 19th century depicting a group of men lining up to use a younger male for anal sex attributed to either the book Sawaqub al-Manaquib or the Hamsa/Hamse/Khamsa/Khamsah of Nizami Ganjavi.