ghaza in central and eastern europe 167
the virgin unveils herself for the fi rst time to her husband after the wedding
ceremony. Switching from Ottoman to Persian, the author alludes to soldiers
taking their pleasure on the women they found within Kamaniça (44a).
Abdi Pasha’s account of the sultan’s participation in this lesser knowncampaign also offers much insight into Mehmed IV’s character and vision of
the sultanate. He emphasizes his glittering appearance in ceremonial armor
designed to dazzle and overawe spectators. Because the sultan had effectively
moved the capital to Edirne, an excellent starting point for campaigns in Otto-
man Europe, all military forces invited to participate in the imperial campaign
as well as members of the administration and religious class, including Vani
Mehmed Efendi, lined up outside of Hunting Gate at the palace in Edirne to
receive sumptuous cloaks and kiss the ground before him. After a sign from
Mehmed IV, they all raised their hands as Vani Mehmed Efendi prayed, then
all saluted “the shadow of God.” The sultan presented Arabian horses to the
leading men of state, Vani Mehmed Efendi, and the sheikhulislam. When he
left the palace the sultan and his pure Arabian horse were decked out in jew-
eled armor “radiant as the light of the sun.”^6 Hajji Ali Efendi also notes that
the sultan favored golden armor.^7 Over his “master of the auspicious conjunc-
tion helmet” the sultan wrapped a green imperial shawl on which were two
ghazi aigrettes (his horse also had an aigrette plume on its head). Mehmed IV
was girded with a jeweled “world-conquering imperial sword” and an “enemy-
extinguishing Rustemian quiver of arrows” that glittered like lightning, daz-
zling the eyes of all who beheld him.^8 Dressed in this awesome fashion, the
sultan led an ostentatious procession with bravery and manliness.^9 Although
dressed more luxuriously than fourteenth-century ghazis, with his glittering,
golden armor and ceremonial weaponry, which seemed to confi rm Hajji Ali
Efendi’s claim that the sunlike brilliance of his victorious sword of the master
of the auspicious conjunction illuminated the world, the combination of ghazi
military energy and imperial lavishness articulated the same message.^10 Meh-
med IV was not stuck in the harem deep within the palace but was an active,
mobile, martial sultan who waged war in person for the sake of the religion
and empire. After all, Nihadi notes in relation to this campaign that it is written
(Qur’an 6 1 :4), “Verily God loves those who battle on God’s path.”^11 The sultan
handed the “horsetail blazing with God’s assistance in battle” to Fazıl Ahmed
Pasha, and the campaign was under way.^12
The sultan and his forces had to overcome daunting natural obstaclesto reach their goal. They set out optimistically, with great ceremony, but a
dogged rainfall soon hindered their advance. The constant rain created so
much mud that the legs of their horses became stuck. They had to use ropes
to pull them out and even to force them to move forward.^13 At some points it