Qadi

Jean Baptiste Vanmour, The Kazasker, Judge, c. 1727-1730, oil on canvas, h 34 cm x w 27 cm, Rijks Museum

Upon the establishment of Istabul as an Islamic state, two qadi were appointed for the city: one for the European side of the city and one for the Asian. The qadi, or cadi, was a judge who upheld the Shari’a law in Muslim urban centers. Within their position, they acted on behalf of the Sultan as both the religious and political head of their community.

In this painting by Jean Baptiste Vanmour, we see a military qadi dressed in the typical turban and fur-trimmed garment of his station. Portraits of both this qadi and the Sultan he served—Sultan Ahmed III—are featured in a series Vanmour painted called the Ferriol Album.