The Fall of the Dynasties: The Collapse of the Old Order: 1905-1922

by Edmond Taylor

To foil possible conspirators, Abdul Hamid kept shifting beds — he had plenty to choose from — and at times of special stress the most important responsibility of the duty-concubine who shared with him the bed he had chosen for the night was to make sure that no one, or no thing, was hiding beneath it. The kitchens where the Sultan’s meals were cooked had barred windows, and the food arrived on his table in sealed containers; even so, the chief chamberlain had to taste each dish before the Sultan did. The very cows in the model farm at Yildiz were kept under guard, to make sure that no one tampered with the ruler’s milk. When he was obliged to appear in public, the Sultan always had one of his little sons ride beside him in the Imperial carriage, as a psychological deterrent to assassination. To give himself the illusion of freedom in his self-imposed prison, Abdul Hamid had several fully staffed cafes set up in the grounds of Yildiz for his exclusive use, and he would often stroll into one or the other of them, take a solitary seat at one of the tables, clap his hands for the waiter, and on leaving would even fling down a coin to pay for his coffee which, however, could only be prepared for him by the Cafedfi Bachi, the Royal Coffeemaker.