Speaking of shadow play, as Chinese people, we always unconsciously puff out our chest and give a thumbs-up. But do you know that our art of looking at home has a long history not only in China, but also as far away as Turkey.

Shadow play flourished in the Northern Song Dynasty of China, and by the 15th century, it had spread to Egypt, and later to the Ottoman Empire through Persia. The cradle of shadow play in Turkey is Bursa, the fourth largest city in the country. Why Bursa? Bursa is the initial capital of Ottoman Turkey, backed by mountains and water, but also the passage to Europe, connected with the sea and relatively hidden, easy to defend and difficult to attack the strategic position, is also the end of the Silk Road near the west. The bustling trade has also shone shadow puppets into thousands of households.

While retaining the form of shadow play performance, Turks have continuously integrated their own national characteristics, especially Islamic religious culture and Sufi mysticism, and gradually formed a prominent Turkish shadow play. Caragez performed frequently in cafes, gardens and public squares, especially during Ramadan and circumcision. Today, performances have mostly moved to theaters, schools, and big-city shopping malls, and remain popular. Karagoz Turkish shadow puppetry was included in UNESCO's Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009.

Unlike in China, props for shadow puppets in Turkey are made of thin cowhide or camel skin and then painted with color. Although the cowhide is very thin, it is relatively stiff, so that the performance can be free of movement and not easy to break. Turkish shadow puppets are often performed in cafes or restaurants. The shadow puppets used for performance are about 1 foot high, with less carving and more painting. The carving knife technique is rough and unrestrained, and the color depiction is more detailed, especially the eyes, which are vivid and vivid. All kinds of shadow puppetry characters in various periods have their own funny characters, such as gentlemen, dancers, dwarfs, maniacs, smokers, Persians and so on.


The Turkish people absorbed the form of shadow play and developed it into their own film, while also creating many characters of different personalities in the country, the most famous being Karagoz and Hacivat. According to legend, during the Ottoman Empire, Bursa Mosque construction craftsmen Karagoz and his friend Hajwat were very good at telling jokes, and workers often stopped their work to listen to them, delaying the construction period. Angered by this, and fearing that their influence would incite rebellion in the region, the ruler of the time, the Sultan, had the two men executed. Later the sultan regretted it again and erected a monument for the two men. The workmates spread their jokes to the world over and over again, and thus a new shadow play protagonist was born. The Turkish people like the character of Kalagaz very much, so there is another name "Kalagaz" in Turkish shadow puppetry.


The playwright painted Caragazzi (meaning black eyes in the vernacular) with a round face, big eyes and a bushy beard, lively and humorous. He is the embodiment of Turkey's most ordinary people: illiterate, no job but always want to make money, occasionally rude, but always kind and honest, trustworthy, is the Turkish people's favorite folk hero image, and Kalagaz has become another name for shadow play. Hajiwat, with his pointed jaw, triangular eyes and haughty temperament, was a good friend of Caragher's. He was well educated, spoke pure Ottoman Turkish, and occasionally burst out a few beautiful poems or idioms.The two exchanged barbs, and bickering was his daily routine with Caragez. Shadow play artists take the opportunity to improvise words, satirizing the world, hilarious. They embody folk wisdom with exaggerated body language and beatboxing. Although they are only small puppets 35 to 40 centimeters high, they have the charm of crossing times, Spaces, and nations.

Each act begins with an introduction to the theme of the play, and after a whistle, the play begins. The conversation is the climax of the story, with the main character and supporting characters acting out at the same time, dancing, singing, poetry reading, bickering, and even punching each other, often ending in a fight.

The dolls, called tasvirs, are only about a foot tall and are made of camel or cow skin, lightly carved and heavily painted, with a special focus on the vivid expression of the eyes. The poles manipulate the parts and use light sources to cast their shadows onto the cotton curtain. The puppet is mainly operated by a chief artist, Hayashi Hayalci, who is knowledgeable and capable, and integrates operation, acting, singing and reciting. The wonderful plot is all based on Hayashi's exquisite talent. There are also musicians, apprentices and assistants in the shadow puppet troupe, accompanied by Davor drums, barama six-stringed harp, Saz and many other Turkish Musical Instruments.

Shadow play is quite popular in Turkey. It has a history of more than 700 years and has been integrated into children's games. During Lent in Turkey, children gather together after meals to play shadow puppetry. Shadow play has also penetrated into social entertainment activities. To this day, people still perform shadow puppets at parties, or tell humorous clips from shadow puppets. In addition, people put shadow puppetry on TV, and also published books on shadow puppetry. Ancient stories and newly created jokes contain moral meanings in humor, and shadow play has become a good form of entertaining and teaching. In Turkey, Karagaz and Hajiwat two good partners have become idols similar to China's Avanti.