ABSTRACT
This chapter explores how childhoods spent in the last years of the Ottoman Empire are remembered and described in post-Ottoman autobiographical texts. Many Turkish or generally post-Ottoman autobiographies contain descriptions of the physical environments in which their authors grew up. After considering the physical environment in which childhoods were spent, the chapter focuses on "non-physical" aspects under the umbrella term "childhood culture". The games played by children and second children's participation in and perception of religious ceremonies or feast days, which includes a glance at individual religious experiences. Many childhood sections in autobiographies begin with some account of the authors' parents, complemented by descriptions or anecdotes of other relatives. Halide Edip's childhood world of "disorder and early suffering" is somewhat brightened by the influence of grandparents, her uncle and the family servants. Riza Nur presents a very detailed account of the games and sports enjoyed by children as well as adults during his childhood in Sinop during the 1880s.
