Humans are social beings. They strengthen their life journey with a sense of social belonging. The most fundamental condition for socialization in human life is the family. The family is as ancient a structure as human history itself. Throughout history, powerful kinship relationships and family bonds have united, integrated, and provided the experience of living together for humanity.
The concept and content of family also indicate a cultural condition. Every society, geography, and culture has its own concept of the family. The family is shaped and formed by the values and judgments of that culture. The lands where people live, climate characteristics, customs and traditions, religious beliefs, and the cultures that encompass all of these shape the concept of the family in the minds of that society and define its boundaries.
Throughout history, the family experiences and laws of various cultures have attracted the attention of different nations and become subjects of special research. Especially in modern times, the field of social science has placed the family at the center of its studies. The family has been seen as a founding element of civilization. The social strength of a nation is determined by the ancient and strong structure of its family and family ties.
With a history of thousands of years and representing a deep-rooted civilization, the family life of the Turks has always been a focus of interest for modern researchers. Particularly, the humane, hospitable, protective, and resilient societal structure of the Turks has been associated with their immense family institution and historical achievements.
When the structure of the Turkish family is examined, although they have lived in different and vast geographical areas throughout history, the family structure is generally deep-rooted and unchanging, with only minor differences.
The Turkish family structure is defined as a “patriarchal” family. In this family structure, fathers and mothers have equal rights. Great importance is given to women and children. While the father is considered the head of the family, he was largely dependent on the housewife in many aspects of daily life. The Turkish family is mostly characterized by a patriarchal structure, but due to the presence of certain aspects of female dependence, “matriarchy” has also been mentioned by researchers. Especially Turkish legends, with motifs such as the Turkish nation descending from a she-wolf, have been interpreted as references to “matriarchy.”
The Turkish family, consisting of mother, father, and children, is classified as a nuclear family. However, due to strong kinship ties, a large clan structure was also formed along with the relatives of the mother and father. Blood ties are essential and a unifying factor. Alongside family bonds, larger kinship family units called “tribes” are formed. In the family, everyone has equal rights, income is shared, and since there is no ownership right, everyone is equal and has a say in matters of property.
In our language, the terms “marriage” or “wedding” essentially refer to young men and women establishing a new home by leaving their paternal home as a result of marriage. Especially the term “ev-bark” (home-hearth) in our language is one of the finest examples expressing the Turkish family structure. The term “bark,” used in conjunction with “ev” (home), means a sacred place. Because Turks attribute sanctity to marriage and have considered their homes as sacred places.
With the Islamic period, there is no significant change observed in the family life of the Turks. Essentially, there are no significant differences between the pre-Islamic Turkish family structure and the family structure prescribed by the Islamic religion and specified in the Quran.
Turks had already given a religious identity to the family in terms of tradition and mindset. The family was sacred and valuable. Therefore, with the Islamization of the Turks, the family, which already had a religious identity, became even more deeply rooted and profound with Islam. Bonds were strengthened, and the value of the family increased even more.
Another factor that strengthened the family structure is related to the Turks being a nomadic society. Embracing a nomadic way of life, the Turks stood strong with their strong family ties in the face of the challenges of nomadic life and easily overcame difficulties.
Due to the majority of Turkish communities living a nomadic life, the character of the Turkish family has been shaped according to the necessities of nomadic life from the early centuries, and even social laws have been determined accordingly. The traces of nomadism were predominant, especially in everyday life.
The traditions of the Turkish family have always been mentioned and emphasized by Turkish state leaders and thinkers throughout history. Indeed, especially in the written and oral sources of the Turks, including the Orkhon Inscriptions, references are made to the nobility of the Turkish family. Especially in advising to preserve the social structure, not allowing unity and solidarity to be damaged, many words have been said about the Turkish family.
The family has always been mentioned in the poems and folk songs of many ancient Turkish poets. The works of Kaşgarlı Mahmud, one of the first examples of our written literature, titled “Divanü Lugati’t-Türk,” and Yusuf Has Hacib’s work “Kutadgu Bilig” include sections about the importance and value of the Turkish family structure.
Throughout history, the family life of the Turks who migrated to different regions and settled there has attracted the attention of local people with different religious and ethnic backgrounds, and it has been greatly respected and set as an example.
Especially foreign envoys and travel writers who came to Turkish lands, especially those who wrote travelogues, were fascinated by the Turkish family and wrote extensively about it in their works. Foreign visitors carried information about the Turkish family structure to their own countries and aimed to set an example for their societies.
From the 7th and 8th centuries onwards, as the Turks began to transition to a settled way of life, some changes took place in the family life. These changes were generally related to aspects of daily life, apart from traditions such as the social status of individuals, family law, and mostly related to the transition to a settled lifestyle. Although the Turkish tribes began to settle, they largely continued their ancient traditions related to the family.
During this period, the main change began with the transition of the nomadic society to a settled system, where neighborhoods and houses were built. Given the unique requirements of settled life, daily life was reshaped and characterized in various ways.
The settled Turkish family underwent a transformation, and its form reached its peak during the Ottoman period. During this period, the Turkish family became fully adapted to the settled system and formed a neighborhood culture. Especially impressive mansions and palaces were built, designed according to Turkish and Islamic traditions, which even Western observers admired. The value of homes, particularly in terms of social and religious sensitivities, gained refinement.
In Ottoman history, when the family structure is observed, it can be seen that nuclear families with children were more common in cities, while extended families were more prevalent in villages. In the Ottoman family, children lived under the custody and legal control of their fathers.
In rural areas, children started working at an early age due to economic reasons, but especially for families living in cities, the first education of children was provided within the family, they were raised and guided. The first education provided was religious education, followed primarily by obedience and discipline education.
In the following centuries, despite the increase in population, Ottoman society, unlike Western societies, never left children to roam freely. There was never a situation of being left to the streets or fate.
The Ottoman Empire, being cosmopolitan and multi-ethnic, shaped the education of children from an early age according to these characteristics. Muslim children received education in Sıbyan Mekteps (elementary schools) under the control of local scholars, Jewish children were educated in synagogues, and Christian children were left to the education of priests.
Children were valued and respected. Even if they were orphaned, the eldest member of the family, even if not their father, was responsible for taking care of them. Children who were orphaned and had no one to take care of them were also provided assistance by the state; especially the state had policies in place for these cases.
The state provided assistance, primarily to families, including widows with children, women who gave birth to twins or triplets, and families in need, regardless of their religion or race. Especially orphaned and abandoned children were placed with well-off families.
When looking at the daily lives of women and men, it can be said that, particularly in the Ottoman context, women and men were under less pressure than men and women in Western countries during the same period. They were comfortable and free. Women were never isolated from social life. Men and women had separate social lives and entertainments. Both genders organized their own entertainments and had fun among their peers.
The houses where families lived had developed their unique architecture during the Ottoman period. Especially, regardless of being Muslim, Jewish, or Christian, the structures of houses were generally similar. Houses, especially in the Ottoman context, had separate sections for women and men. Houses were shaped, especially in terms of population size, including pantries, bathrooms, toilets, and rooms.
The eating habits and cultures of families were rich and diverse. While there were minor differences in eating habits between urban and rural populations, the Ottoman cuisine was, for the most part, a rich imperial cuisine. The diversity of this cuisine is due to the Ottoman Empire being multi-ethnic. Each nation had its own unique dishes, which resulted in a rich Ottoman cuisine due to the multicultural nature of the empire.
Due to the vast and varied geography of the country, the variety of products was very high. Therefore, the Ottoman family was better nourished compared to many other countries in the world. Wastefulness and excessive consumption were not approved of and were not well received.
Especially with the rapid increase in communication in the 19th century, the transformation of modernism into a global ideology, the military and bureaucratic losses of the Ottoman state, and the missionary activities causing discord in Ottoman territories, the Ottoman family and social structure began to undergo a major transformation.
Especially with the influence of Westernization during the Tanzimat period, a passion for living like the European people emerged in society as a result of the admiration for the West, and especially those who went to Western countries for education attempted to reflect the mindset transformation they experienced upon their return to their own societies. Primarily, Turkish intellectuals with Western-oriented thinking, including the most fundamental structures such as the family, questioned and tried to impose alternative models and lifestyles.
Ultimately, shaped as a result of thousands of years of historical experience, adorned with religious and national identity, the Turkish family structure has been disrupted and detached from its ancient values. Indeed, even today, the effects of this disruption can clearly be seen in our family and societal structures. Our social structure, which was envied and admired even by Western travelers and bureaucrats, exists in the historical past of our ancestors as a utopia(!), far from where we are today.
