Introduction to a Different Form of Rule
The constitution of the Turkish government is very different from most other governments in the world. For this reason, it must be supported by its own special rules and principles. These rules, which may be called maxims, are the foundations upon which the state is built and preserved. Without understanding these guiding ideas, it is not possible to understand how this government continues to exist and function.
I have begun this work knowing well that it is full of difficulty and labor. To trace the true nature of government, even in the best and most carefully formed commonwealths—those supported by both reason and religion—is no easy task. It is like trying to solve a deep mystery, because the actions of governments are often hidden, complex, and shaped by many forces Sightseeing Tour Sofia.
The State Compared to a Ship at Sea
Many writers have compared a commonwealth to a ship, and this comparison is useful in many ways. A ship moves across the sea, guided by changing winds and weather, and it leaves only a faint and temporary mark on the water behind it. In the same way, good government moves through the uncertain sea of human affairs.
Its path is not fixed or easily traced, because it must respond to different times, situations, chances, and events. What worked in one moment may not work in another. For this reason, government often leaves no clear track that others can follow exactly.
Unchanging Foundations of Government
Yet even with all this uncertainty, every government must have certain fixed rules. These rules are the pillars and foundations of the state. They are not easily changed by time, accident, or circumstance. They are so essential that if they are removed or altered, the entire structure of government must change as well.
Such a change may come through conquest, when a new ruler imposes new laws, or through civil disorder and internal revolutions. In either case, the original model of government is shaken and reshaped into something new.
Purpose of This Work
Of these fixed and guiding maxims—well known to anyone who has spent time in the Ottoman court—I have made a careful collection. Under each main point, I have added reflections and observations drawn from my own experience and study.
In my hours of leisure, I have examined these principles thoughtfully, testing them against reason and virtue, as far as my limited judgment allows. I have also compared them with the governing principles of other great empires, to which God has granted wide authority and power.
My aim is to help the reader understand not only what these maxims are, but also why they exist, and how they support a form of government so different from our own.