By Way of Conclusion
If there is a rule of reenactment as an approach to historical research, it might be “Expect the unexpected.” What we learned on the expedition far exceeded what we expected to find in terms of Ottoman remnants.
After the journey, we returned to Evliya’s accounts with fresh eyes. His descriptions of the multicultural world of Ottoman administration subsequently shed new light on our discoveries beyond what we could have anticipated. For it was the case that following in the hoofprints of this Ottoman gentleman-adventurer, educated at the imperial court, a cavalryman, dervish, and hafιz (prayer leader and Quranic reciter), who often traveled on Ottoman service, military campaigns, and diplomatic missions, offered unique opportunities for absorbing residual Ottoman ways of thinking and feeling. Saints’ tombs, hot springs, villagers’ stories, mountain fastnesses, Ottoman bridges, local delicacies,Expedition and Reenactment 213 accounts of battles, the environments and behavior of animal species were all equally worthy of recording (Landry, 2018; 2015b).Expect the unexpected. We set out hoping for an enjoyable experience while looking to see what, if anything, remained of the Ottoman world that Evliya had described four centuries ago. We were as surprised at the degree of hospitality shown to us in village after village as we were to find in some places that we were taken to be sheep rustlers. Traveling by horse was clearly a key to the welcome we received nearly everywhere. It was also a talking point that soon led to the discovery that Evliya was known and revered wherever we went, even by people who admitted they had never actually read him. In one small town, the muhtar proudly informed us that Evliya had written in praise of the local garlic, though we have failed to find any reference to the town or its garlic in the Seyahatname. As we have indicated in this chapter, perhaps the most unexpected discovery was finding so many villages inhabited by immigrants from so many diverse times and places, all of them proudly aware of their origins. Another unexpected discovery of the expedition was how, after weeks of trekking along rough tracks through woods, along riverbeds, and over hills, the horses all came home not simply safe and sound but fitter than ever, performing impressively in endurance competitions. Since 2010, a number of the horses ridden on commercial “Evliya Qelebi” rides led by Ercihan Dilari of the Akhal-Teke Horse Center have gone on to become national endurance champions.