aigrette: a jewelled stickpin designed to keep the turban in place. Mustafa had an elaborate filigreed gold aigrette set with rubies and diamonds.
bahnkes: placing heated cups on the body to draw out pain and tension. The cups are heated with a candle.
bimah: a raised platform in a synagogue from which the Torah is read.
Bismillah: an Arabic phrase meaning “in the name of God, the most compassionate.”
börek: a family of pastries made of a thin flaky dough known as phyllo, with varying fillings.
brokhe: a Jewish blessing.
buzkashi: literally “goat grabbing.” A game played on horseback, the object being to wrestle the headless carcass of a goat or a calf from the opposing team and race with it to the goal post. The game is played in countries such as Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Turkestan.
cara: a term of affection in Italian, meaning “dear.”
cassone: a chest, which may be rich and showy or very simple.
catarrh: a persistent inflammation of the mucus membranes.
chopine: high, treacherous shoes worn by Venetian women of fashion, designed to keep them elevated from the mud of the streets. The height of the chopine was emblematic of the social standing of the wearer; the higher the shoes, the higher the woman’s status.
cioppà: a Venetian term for loose-fitting dress.
djinns: tiny demons made of fire that tormented and interfered in everyday life, causing endless misfortune.
dolma: grape leaves stuffed with ground meat, rice, or herbs.
gagliarda: an athletic and popular Renaissance dance.
gözde: a girl in the eye of the sultan.
halizah: a ceremony to dissolve a levirate marriage, for example, a marriage between a widow and her brother-in-law. The widow removes the brother-in-law’s shoe, a specially made sandal, and he is released from the obligation to marry her.
hamam: steam bath or sauna.
hocas: witches.
Janissaries: an elite private corps of soldiers who guarded the sultan.
kaddish: the Jewish prayer of mourning.
Karagöz: a type of marionette theatre, popular at the harem.
keriah: a ritual of mourning; the cutting of garments to show grief for the dead.
ketubah: a Jewish prenuptial agreement. Many beautifully adorned examples of these marriage contracts can be found in museums, such as the Jewish Museum in Paris.
ketzele: a Yiddish term meaning “little kitten.”
klezmer: Jewish music—lively and spirited, often played at weddings and dances.
köchek: the “fauns of Constantinople,” as they were known by the Janissaries, were very handsome young males, often provocatively cross-dressed in feminine apparel, who danced for the entertainment of other men.
lapis lazuli: a semi-precious blue stone found in many parts of the world. The finest examples come from Afghanistan.
loghetto: a tiny, cramped, one-room apartment in the Venetian ghetto.
lokum: Turkish delight—sticky candies dusted in confectionery sugar.
mahalle: an Arab word meaning “district,” “quarter,” or “ward.”
mezes: hot or cold appetizers, usually served as snacks or as the prelude to a meal.
mikvah: a ritual bath where Jewish woman cleanse themselves after menstruation.
nahils: a festive decoration and form of art used during certain ceremonies in Ottoman tradition. It is a highly decorated artificial tree fashioned from beeswax or coloured paper. They were a sign of power, and accordingly were as big and extravagant as possible.
nargileh: a water pipe used to smoke flavoured tobacco.
nazar boncuğu: an amulet believed to be protection against the Evil Eye. In modern Turkey, it is common to see nazars hanging in houses, shops, and offices and worn as jewellery.
odalisque: a female slave, a candidate for the sultan’s affections.
Osmanlica: the language of the Ottoman Empire.
pattens: high, wooden shoes designed to keep the wearer off the wet, hot floor of the steam baths.
plov: rice.
shul: a synagogue, the Jewish house of prayer.
rebbetzin: a rabbi’s wife.
repoussé: a metal-work technique in which metal is shaped by hammering from the reverse side to create a design.
scudo: a Venetian coin of small denomination.
Shabbat: the Jewish day of rest, the seventh day of the week. It begins a few minutes before sunset on Friday until the appearance of three stars in the sky on Saturday night.
Shabbat goy: a gentile servant who performs tasks not permitted for Jews to perform on the Sabbath.
şhalvar: loose trousers worn by Turkish women.
shiva: a Jewish period of mourning lasting seven days.
tallis: prayer shawl worn by men, fringed and reaching below the knees.
Talmud: refers to the “six orders” in the Oral Law of Judaism. The Talmud has two components—the Mishnah and the Gemara.
tughra: the seal (or monogram) of the sultan, written in calligraphy.
yali: a handsome country house, especially on one of the Princes’ Islands in the bay of Istanbul.
yaşmak: a veil worn by Muslim women wrapped around the upper and lower face so only the eyes are exposed.
yeshiva: a Jewish educational institution focusing primarily on the study of the Torah.
yufka: Turkish bread, thin, round, and unleavened.