Traditions & everyday life
Karagöz ve Hacivat
The two heroes of Turkish shadow theatre, quarrelling behind a lit screen.
The Turkish name
Karagöz ve Hacivat
Recording on its way.
The story
Karagöz, the blunt man of the people, and Hacivat, his educated and pompous friend, are flat leather puppets moved against a backlit cloth screen. Their arguments, puns and misunderstandings have made audiences laugh since Ottoman times.
The plays were traditionally performed on Ramadan evenings and are closely tied to Bursa, where the two are said to have lived. UNESCO listed Karagöz as Intangible Cultural Heritage in 2009.
At a glance
- Form
- Shadow theatre with leather puppets
- Home town
- Bursa
- UNESCO
- Intangible Cultural Heritage, 2009
Read more
Karagöz ve Hacivat on Vikipedi ↗
This page was written from these sources.
- Karagöz ↗UNESCO · Checked 2026-09-22