After the conquest of Bursa by Orhan Bey, a prominent person named Hacı İvaz Paşa (Hadji İvaz Pasha) was appointed by the Sultan to supervise the building of Orhan Mosque. Hacı İvaz Paşa, shortly called Hacivat, employed a foreman who had immigrated to Anatolia from Western Thrace. This foreman, named Karagöz, was charged with the task of connecting the stone blocks by iron bars, but his work progressed so slowly that it seemed as though it would never come to an end. This was due to the merry witticisms of Karagöz joined by Hacivat, who was also a very witty person with a graceful spirit born of a good educational background. The fun produced by the never ending exchange of witticism between the supervisor and his foreman was so great that the workers could do nothing but listen to them and laugh at them all the day. When Orhan Bey was informed of this, he had the foreman hanged under the minaret.
The hanging of Karagöz during the days of festivities that still continued in celebration of the conquest of Bursa, produced a reaction of great disapproval on the people. Conscious - stricken Orhan Bey sought for Hacivat but the latter had already fled from the country on a pilgrimage trip to Mecca. The misfortune followed him on his way to the pilgrimage where he was murdered by Arab bandits. Orhan Bey was very sorry to learn the fate of his old friend. He immediately send out troops in guidance of a dog with magic powers, which soon captured the killers. They all hanged by the order of Orhan Bey in the Mestani Bazaar Square.
One of Orhan Bey's courtesans informed him that Sheik Küşteri, an acquaintance of Hacivat, had in his memory all the witticisms exchanged between the latter and his foreman. Orhan Bey called him to his presence, heard his anectodes with delight and this gave birth to the historical image play incarnating Karagöz and Hacivat.
This image play gained wider attraction of the people during the reign of Yıldırım Bayazid, getting further enriched with folk songs, more spiritual dialogues and a great number of auxiliary personages born from people's own social life. This folkloric shadow puppet theater lived until our day with its unforqettable characters : Karagöz, Hacivat, Çelebi, Zenne, Tiryaki, Tbzsuzbeli Bekir, The Albanian, the Jew, the
Levantine, the Armenian and Sheih Küşteri, the latter lying quietly in his eternal sleep at the cemetery near Çekirge in Bursa.
Bursa'nın fethinden sonra Orhan Bey, Orhan Camii'nin yapılması için Hacı İvaz Paşa (HACİVATI )'yı
vazifelendirir. Hacivat'ın ustabaşısı Batı Trakya'dan Anadolu'ya geçmiş olan Karagözün de kenet demirlerini yaptığı inşaat bir türlü bitmez. Sebebi ise
Karagözün yaptığı şaklabanlıklara, kendisi qibi hoş sohbet, zarit ve aynı zamanda okumuş bir insan olan Hacivatın da katılmasıyla, ameleler iş yapamaz hale gelmişlerdi. Bunu öğrenen Orhan Bey minaremin dibinde Karagözü idam ettirdi.
Bursa'nın fetih şenlikleri yapıldığı günlerde Karagöz'ün idamı halk üzerinde menfi bir tesir yarattı, pişman olan Orhan Bey Hacivatı arattı, fakat Hacivat kendisinin de idam edileceğini zannederek korkup, hacca gitmişti. Yolda Arap eşkiyaları Hacivatı kestiler. Bunu duyan Orhan Bey çok üzüldü, sihirli bir köpek salıp Hacivat'ın katillerini-yakalattırdı ve Mesteniye çarşısında idam ettirdi.
Nedimelerinden biri, Şeyh Küşteri'nin Karagözle Hacivat'ın konuşmalarını yakinen bildiğini Orhan Beye duyurmuş. Orhan Bey de, Şeyh Küşteriyi çağırtarak dinlemiş ve böylece Karagözle Hacivat bir hayal oyunu olarak tarihe intikal etmiştir.
Yıldırım Bayazıt zamanında daha çok önem kazanarak gelişen bu oyun türküleriyle, esprileriyle hakiki bir Türk oyunu olarak günümüze kadar geldi.
Kahramanları : Karagöz, Hacivat ve Şeyh Küşteri ise Çekirgedeki Karagöz mezarlığında yatmaktadırlar.
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