Altar Modelling

Military History Note No:10, October 2009

Ottoman’s terrible way of punishment

Execution by a hook

L
ike all other states in history, Ottomans too, were not hesitant to use violence for
certain aims. There were different forms of violence used in order to reach certain
political and military targets. The methods used would span from simply cutting
the head to throwing into deep seas with stones tied to one’s feet and to strangling. And
there were some other methods which were considered worse and more brutal than those
listed as these methods would not grant instant death to the victim and cause unbearable
pain. One such method is implement while the other most terrible method is the
execution by a hook.

Hooks, victims and the executioners

Source: Yıllarboyu Tarih journal, February 1981

Terrible method of punishment

Just like all other empires, Ottomans tried to find a fine balance between ‘violence’ and
‘tolerance’ to accomplish its political and military objectives. Tolerance and mercy had
been granted fully to those who would not resist against Ottoman forward march and
surrender castles and cities. If a promise had been given by the Sultan in terms of
protection of the surrenders lives, possessions and religious freedoms, then this was kept
strictly. However, if a castle or city resists, kill Ottoman soldiers, than Ottoman state
showed its furious wrath in the fullest manner to those who had risen against their rule. 1
In order to save its own soldiers, to minimize losses, sometimes high profile executions
were carried out to deter potential rebels and stop them from launching uprisings.

“The Gaunche: a sort of punishment in use among the Turks”

Depiction of Ottoman hook in 18th century European drawing
Source: Original engraving from the 1761 book Voyage into the Levant from Altar Modelling archive

1
Örnek olarak bakınız Celal oğlu Mustafa, Tabakatülmemalik ve derecetülmesalik: Osmanlı
İmparatorluğunun yükselme devrinde Türk ordusunun savaşları ve devletin iç ve dış siyasası,
Türkçeleştiren Emekli Bnb. Sadettin Tokdemir, Askri Matbaa, İstanbul, 1937 ve Neşri, Kitab-ı Cihan-
nüma, Neşri Tarihi, Türk Tarih Kurumu, Ankara 1995, Cilt I-II.
Hooks were usually placed on higher places, most commonly, on wooden structures
specially built for this purpose. The hooks on the horizontal pillar resemble to the ones
used by butchers to hang meat. The victim, who would be usually naked, would be pulled
upwards to the top with ropes and then the executioners on the ground would suddenly let
the ropes loose causing the prisoner to fall on one of the hooks beneath him randomly. If
the victim was lucky, he would take a lethal wound and die instantly. But this was a small
possibility. Majority of victims would get hanged from their non-lethal parts of their
bodies and had to wait in pain there for many hours, even days. No one could intervene
from that moment on and the victim would be taken out of hook only when he is
definitely dead. The wooden structures for hooks were usually erected in populous areas
of cities to display the executions, to set an example for those who may attempt to
commit crime. Eminonu and Parmakkapı in Istanbul were the places that are known to
host such executions. 2 Bandits and especially pirates were executed with this method. 3

Waiting till you die on the hook

Source: “Tarih Boyunca İşkence”, Panaroma journal, April 1993

2
Midhat Sertoğlu, Resimli Osmanlı Tarihi Ansiklopedisi, İstanbul Matbaası, 1958, s 65 ve “Tarih Boyunca
İşkence”, Panaroma dergisi, Nisan 1993
3
“Tarih Boyunca İşkence”, Panaroma dergisi, Nisan 1993
 A different type of hook, this time put on a wall.
Source: Midhat Sertoğlu, Resimli Osmanlı Tarihi Ansiklopedisi, İstanbul Matbaası, 1958, p 65

According to French Jean Thevenot’s writings in the 17th century, if the hook pierces the
victim’s body in the center, there is no problem as he instantly dies. However, if the hook
pierces a non-lethal part of the body, then the death is not sudden and victims had to wait
to die, sometimes as long as 3 days on the hook, starving and from thirst as well the
bleeding. According to French Thevenot, this method of execution was so brutal; Turks
rarely resort to this method.4

4
Jean Thevenot, 1655- 1656’da Türkiye, Tercüman 1001 temel eser, İstanbul 1978, s 116
 A detail from 1761 engraving “The Gaunche: a sort of punishment in use among the Turks”
Source: Original engraving from the 1761 book Voyage into the Levant from Altar Modelling archive
Building a model of the hook
Based on historical data and engravings, we built a model of a hook in Altar Modelling
studio to be used in 25mm wargames using balsa wood.

Model of a hook and 25mm figures

Bibliography
“Tarih Boyunca İşkence”, Panaroma journal, April 1993

Yıllarboyu Tarih journal, February 1981

MUSTAFA, Celal oğlu, Tabakatülmemalik ve derecetülmesalik: Osmanlı İmparatorluğunun yükselme

devrinde Türk ordusunun savaşları ve devletin iç ve dış siyasası, Türkçeleştiren Emekli Bnb. Sadettin
Tokdemir, Askeri Matbaa, İstanbul, 1937.
NEŞRİ, Mehmed, Kitab-ı Cihan-nüma, Neşri Tarihi, Türk Tarih Kurumu, Ankara 1995, Vols I-II.

SERTOĞLU, Midhat, Resimli Osmanlı Tarihi Ansiklopedisi, İstanbul Matbaası, 1958.

YILDIRIM, Ali, Osmanlı Engizisyonu zulmün tarihi, Toplumsal Dönüşüm Yayınları, İstanbul 2001

THEVENOT, Jean, 1655-1656’da Türkiye, Tercüman 1001 temel eser, İstanbul 1978

Voyage into the Levant, 1761

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