Porphyry and Blood by Peter Sandham

Author:Peter Sandham [Sandham, Peter]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Sharpe Books
Published: 2020-04-29T22:00:00+00:00

V.

Constantinople, December 1461

In the time since Byzantium’s fall many things had changed in Constantinople, but one constant was the neighbourhood of neat houses on the slopes below Blachernae palace. They had been predominantly Jewish in the days of Emperors and were still Jewish in these days of the Sultan. Hakim Yakub had not known it in the time before the fall, but Moses Capsali, his rabbi, had and there was no doubt in that eminent mind: life in the district had never been better.

During the first months after the conquest, when Sultan Mehmed had set about organising the disparate population of his newly claimed empire, he had created the office of the Hakham Bashi, to oversee the Jews in the same manner the Patriarch oversaw the Greeks. The choice of Moses Capsali for that office had been an easy one. Intelligent and respected by both Jews and gentiles, the Sultan had soon seen merit in adding his counsel to the diwan. Capsali’s seat there was beside the mufti, which did him more honour than that given the Greek Patriarch. With Hekim Yakub also a member of the diwan, there were two Jews sitting on the empire’s highest council: a feat, he was sure, never known in all the thousand years these streets had been Roman.

‘And thank you once again, Hekim Yakub,’ Capsali said as he laid another log carefully into the glowing fireplace. ‘Your generosity was instrumental in making the new synagogue a reality.’

‘I have been fortunate,’ said Yakub. ‘It is only right to share that fortune with my brethren.’ They had just breakfasted together, as they often did before the diwan met. Capsali did not otherwise venture to the palace very often and Yakub spent almost all his time there, so such preparatory meetings were useful to ensure they presented a united front.

Capsali stood up and wiped his hands on the hem of his somber black robe. ‘And we all thank you for it. You’ve given a lot to us these past years. Perhaps I might do something for you in return.’

‘Yes?’

‘I realise, Hekim Yakub, that your court duties make it hard to spend much time in the district, and you have no family here to work on your behalf.’

‘Work on my behalf? Work on what?’

‘Finding a suitable wife of course,’ said Capsali.

‘Ah.’

‘You are past thirty, Yakub. It’s time you married and added sons to our tribe.’

‘Well now, Moses, I’m really not sure…’

‘Yakub, listen. You may not be aware of it, but you are a source of great pride in this part of the city. People see me in my fine robes attending the diwan and think nothing of it – after all, some Jew’s got to be Hakham Bashi. But they know you’re there purely on merit. The man who the Sultan depends upon for his life! Our people look up to you for that.’

‘It’s humbling to hear.’

‘And it comes with responsibilities.’

‘I know.’

‘Well, do you now? Listen, Yakub, I’ve nothing against the frequenting of a hammam per se,

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