The Imperial Council or Imperial Divan, was the de facto cabinet of the Ottoman Empire for most of its history. Initially an informal gathering of the senior ministers presided over by the Sultan in p
Reception of the French ambassador by the Grand Vizier and the Imperial Council in 1724
The gate of the Imperial Council chamber at the Topkapi Palace, Istanbul
The grille-covered window from which the Sultan or Valide Sultan could observe Council meetings and issue orders on some controversial or critical issues
Kadi'askers from the Turkish Costume Book by Lambert de Vos, 1574
Agha of the Janissaries
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The Agha of the Janissaries or Janissary Agha was a top Ottoman military official and courtier, and the commander of the Janissary corps. Apart from the commander-general of the entire corps, the titl
Imperial Council (Ottoman Empire)
…in charge of the palace scribal service, and later the Kapudan Pasha, the head of the Ottoman Navy, and occasionally the beylerbey of Rumelia and the Agha of the Janissaries. The Council met in a dedicated building in the Second Courtyard of the Topkapi Palace, initially daily, then for four days a week by the 16th century…
18th-century depiction of an Agha of the Janissaries