288 chapter 7
appeared on earth since the beginning of time, it has been God’s will that the
changes and phases seen in human civilizations and societies (nev’-i beşerden
her sınıfın temeddün ve ictima ’î halinde) correspond to those seen in individu-
als according to their age. As the “natural” life of man is 120 years, so is the usual
time-span of a society (her ta ’ifenin müddet-i ictima ’î), although it can vary ac-
cording to its strength or weakness.26 There are three stages in every state and
society (devlet ve cemi’yet), corresponding to the three ages of man (growth,
stagnation, and decline). Just as an individual needs their parents’ care while
still a child, in its early stages a state or a dynasty (devlet) is characterized by its
members’ “zeal and mutual assistance” (ta ’assub ve ta ’avün-ı ricâl). And just as
self-governance comes to a growing person, so does a king lay down just laws
and use his treasury to govern his state. The finances, the army, the power, and
the population of a state grows continually in its early period, the way a man’s
limbs grow until maturity. In the same vein, a mature society has its most just
rulers and more generally its heyday in every respect.
In the age of decline, just as an old body loses gradually its temperature and
humidity (hararet ve rütubet) and consequently its powers and senses, so do
statesmen (vükela-yı devlet, a state’s temperature and humidity) lose their abil-
ity to think rightly and take proper measures; consequently, the people and the
army (the powers and senses) start to go astray. Furthermore, those officials
who try to mend such problems of decline in the same way they would have
earlier are bound to fail, since each period requires its own measures. More
specifically, now, the signs of decline are: a tendency of the magnates to imitate
their rulers in wealth and pageantry, and more generally a tendency to con-
tinually increase levels of luxuries and pomp. The middle classes want to live
like kings, and the military prefer ease and peace to fighting. After presenting
this grim image, Kâtib Çelebi feels compelled to note that no matter how bind-
ing is this historical scheme, God is all-powerful and may allow it not to come
about in such a way. For one thing, a dynasty that neglects its laws and turns
to tyranny will decline earlier than is usual ( just like a sick man who takes poi-
son instead of medicine), while a dynasty that takes wise measures and uses
insightful statesmen as doctors can extend its days, the same as an old man can
live to the end of his days in good health.
26 Here one can discern a distant reading of Ibn Khaldun, who states that “the term of life of
a dynasty does not normally exceed three generations [of 40 years each]”. The three ages
described by Kâtib Çelebi correspond to Ibn Khaldun’s description of these three dynas-
tic generations. See Ibn Khaldun – Rosenthal 1958, 1:343–346; Ibn Khaldun – Rosenthal –
Dawood 1969, 136–138.