TRENDEFRAtlas of the Sultans · Glossary
Term · Sovereignty and central government
Also known as: Hutbe
The sermon delivered at Friday and festival prayers; mentioning the ruler's name in it was a sign of sovereignty.
In Islamic states a ruler's independence was shown by having the khutba read and coins struck in his name. So when a city was conquered, reading the khutba in the sultan's name at the first Friday prayer counted as the announcement that the city now belonged to the Ottomans.
Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, article “HUTBE” (in Turkish); text condensed for the atlas.