Video - The Birth of Sultan Hibetullah in Istanbul

"Once, while I was in the palace, a child was born to Sultan Mustafa III. I watched the ceremony held on this occasion. The incident occurred as follows: As soon as the labor pains of the lady, the wife of the Sultan, began, the grand vizier, the sheikh al-Islam and other pashas were called to the palace, as was the custom. The grand vizier, sheikh al-Islam and other pashas outside the harem were called to the palace. These people, who were invited to the hall, started to wait for the birth. This hall was overlooking the Marmara Sea. There were 12 small balls on the terrace of the hall. As soon as the birth took place, the Chief of the Queens was carrying the baby who was born in the hall. In this way, the heads of state confirmed that the child was the daughter of the sultan. Afterwards, the cannons on the terrace of the hall were fired. When their voices were heard, the cannons in the Dockyard, Customs and Maiden's Tower started firing blanks, and the whole of Istanbul heard that the sultan had a daughter. It was the custom of the people of Istanbul to consider the birth of a prince or sultan as an occasion for entertainment. That's what happened this time too. The born sultan was given the name 'Hibetullah'. That night, Istanbulites had fun with enthusiasm. Groups of actors wandered the streets, imitating the dignitaries of the state, including the sultan, and making people laugh. I personally came across an actor dressed exactly like a sultan on the street. This representative sultan was followed by his entourage. His entourage was dressed just like those around the sultan. Likewise, they were imitating the Grand Vizier, the Qadi of Istanbul. Some of the statesmen who were imitated tolerated this, while others were extremely angry and did their best to prevent the actors. "Isn't it interesting? Imitating state officials and making people laugh is not a form of humor specific to these days."