Dragoman of the Porte
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The Dragoman of the Sublime Porte, Dragoman of the Imperial Council, or simply Grand Dragoman or Chief Dragoman, was the senior interpreter of the Ottoman government—frequently referred to as the "Sub
The Dragoman of the Porte (left), at the reception of a European ambassador (seated left) and a Bukharan envoy (seated right) by the reis ül-küttab (seated centre)
Depiction of a Grand Dragoman c. 1809, by an anonymous Greek artist in Constantinople
Alexandros Maurokordatos o ex aporiton
Nikolaos Maurokordatos 1721
Dragoman
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A dragoman was an interpreter, translator, and official guide between Turkish-, Arabic-, and Persian-speaking countries and polities of the Middle East and European embassies, consulates, vice-consula
Dragoman of the Porte
…Phanariotes, and was one of the main pillars of Phanariote power in the Ottoman Empire. In the Ottoman Empire, the existence of official interpreters or dragomans is attested from the early 16th century. They were part of the staff of the reis ül-küttab ('head secretary'), who was responsible for foreign affairs…
Amédée Jaubert (left) was Napoleon's "favourite orientalist adviser and dragoman". He accompanied the Persian envoy Mirza Mohammad-Reza Qazvini at Finckenstein Palace to meet with Napoleon on 27 April 1807 for the Treaty of Finckenstein. Detail of a painting by François Mulard.
Plate from The Crescent and the Cross by Elliot Warburton entitled "Encampment at Baalbec, lady and dragoman in foreground."
Dragoman Joseph Shaar. Temple of Jupiter, Baalbek, 1891
Letter issued by Sultan Ahmed III assigning Nicola Danal Spiro as dragoman to Thomas Funck, Swedish envoyée to the Ottoman court.