When the Karagöz plays were first performed is unclear. Some believe that the first Karagöz-Hacivat play was performed for Sultan Selim I (1512–1520) in Egypt after his conquest of the country in 1517, but 17th century writer Evliya Çelebi stated that it had been performed in the Ottoman palace as early as the reign of Bayezid I (1389–1402).

According to the most cited Turkish legend (in Bursa, anyway), the main characters, Karagöz and Hacivat were two legendarily clownish individuals employed as construction workers on the building of the Ulu Cami. Their silly antics distracted the other workers, slowing down the construction, and the sultan ordered their execution. They were so sorely missed that they were immortalized as the silly puppets that entertained the Ottoman Empire for centuries.

The climax of the Karagöz Theater season was (until television took over some decades ago) the month of Ramadan (the Islamic fasting period, ‘Ramazan’ in Turkish), when for 28 evenings in a row, the same number of different plays where performed; a delight for the spectators, a challenge for the puppeteer and his crew.

Correspondent: J.M.Criel, Antwerpen.
Sources: ‘Günaydın Anadolu – Tradities van Turkije’ – cataloog Tentoonstelling Hessenhuis/Antwerpen 1988 ;
Mr. Şinasi Çelikkol from Bursa (puppeteer, initiator of the Bursa Karagöz Museum) & Wikipedia.