Şevkefza Sultan

The mist is slowly lifting. Only a thin veil of wispy fog hangs over Istanbul now. Şevkefza Sultana bends to pick up a book she had recently put down just as the hills and the waterside homes of the opposite shore begin to come into sharp focus. Next comes the sparkling moment when the rest of the fog has melted and the sun has broken through to blaze in the sky. The waters of the Bosphorus playfully reflect the crystalline shards of sunlight.

Sevkefza, the wife of Sultan Abdülmecid is overwhelmed by the astonishing spectacle of this majestic re-awakening. She is Caucasian descended from Abaz. A dream has reminded her of her first day in the palace. She was a little girl then, with long black hair. The memory brought a smile to her lips.

That was when they had given her the name Şevkefza, which means “the person who brings cheer”. It is August 7, 1867, a Wednesday. The olive-eyed Sultana rejoices in Dolmabahce Palace. It has been an endless forty-five days since her son Prince Murat left for Europe. He has visited all the cities of the West on the occasion of the Great Exhibition of Paris, which honored Napoleon the Third of France.

News has arrived that the Sultana’s yacht, on which the Prince is sailing, has left the port of Varna last night and is expected to arrive in Istanbul any moment. The people have gathered on the shore, chanting his name all night long. Şevkefza Sultana lounges on her embroidered chair. She is staring at a painting that peers down at her from the carved ceiling. She is at peace now and much happier.

Her beloved son will be at her side soon.