TRENDEFRAtlas of the Sultans · Glossary
Term · Sovereignty and central government
Also known as: Divan-ı Hümayun
The highest council, where affairs of state were discussed and decided; the name means “the sultan's council”.
Its meetings were held in the chamber called Kubbealtı in the Topkapı Palace. Under the chairmanship of the grand vizier sat the viziers, the kazaskers, the defterdars and the nişancı; matters of politics, war, finance and justice were discussed here. The council took its fully developed form under Mehmed II the Conqueror.
Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, article “DÎVÂN-ı HÜMÂYUN” (in Turkish); text condensed for the atlas.