The Eclipse of the Moon in Constantinople: Turks firing guns to frighten away the Evil Spirit

Description

This engraving is based on a visual representation of a news report in the March 24, 1877, issue of The Illustrated London News, depicting the public reaction observed during a lunar eclipse in Istanbul. According to the newspaper, this natural phenomenon aroused a superstitious fear among the Turkish people living in the city. They interpreted the darkening of the moon as an invasion of the celestial realms by an evil spirit, believing that this ominous entity disrupted the order between the sun and the planets. As the news report states, in line with this belief, people gathered on the shores of the Golden Horn (Golden Horn) and attempted to exorcise this imaginary "evil spirit" by making noise, shouting, and firing guns. The engraving depicts people lined up on the shore, aiming their rifles at the sky, and the moon, partially obscured in the sky during the eclipse. The minarets, ships, and harbor lines on the opposite shore of the city clearly indicate that the incident occurred in a central urban area. The report notes that such reactions were not unique to Ottoman society; travelers in Africa reported that similar practices were also observed in Dahomey, Ashantee, and other "primitive pagan communities" on the West Coast. The text states that these behaviors were not sanctioned by any Muslim cleric or authority, but that they were a measure of tolerance even in the Ottoman capital, reflecting the remnants of ancient and crude beliefs ingrained among the population.