Bogdan serai- moldavian representation at the sublime porte

Abstract

Both Moldavia and Wallachia enjoyed a privileged and special status as tributary states of the Ottoman Empire. As such, the representation system of the principalities was unique: Both Moldavia and Wallachia kept permanent envoys titled capukehaie in Istanbul. The envoys resided in Bogdan Serai (Moldavian Palace) and Eflak Serai (Wallachian Palace) in the Fatih and Phanar regions, respectively. The present paper shall focus on the residence of the Moldavian envoys, Bogdan Serai, which consisted of a main residence and a funerary chapel. Unfortunately almost nothing remains from the Serai today. There are quite a number of unanswered questions about the date of construction, architectural history and the residents of the building. The residences of the envoys deserve a comprehensive architectural survey, legal protection and restoration as architectural monuments that are identified with the lives of historical personages and connected with events significant in the cultural, political, and social history of Turkey and Romania.