Bitef

pleasent companion, and noisily calls Karagöz to the stage with a speech which alway ends with the words, "Yar bana bir edlence aman" (Oh, for some amusement). Karagöz enters on the opposite and they beat each others. Hacivat runs away and Karagöz begins to complain about Hacivat' s treatment. After this obligatory introduction Hacivat returns to the screen and they engage in a colloquy (battle of wit), muhavere, which involves many puns and misunderstandings. At the end of the exchange, the play proper or fasil begins with each new character introducing themselves with a song, peculiar their persona. Some of the other characters are the drunkard Tuzsuz Deli Bekir carrying a wine bottle. Uzun Efe with his long neck, Kanbur Tiryaki the opium addict with his pipe. Alti Karis Beberuhi (six feet babyman) the eccentric dwarf, the half-witted Denyo, the spendthrift Civan, and Nigar, who spends her time chasing men. The cast of some plays may also include dancers, djins, witches, and monsters, as well as nameless characters such as the Arab (a sweet seller or beggar who knows no Turkish), a black servant woman, a Circasian servant girl, an Albanian watchman (who is noisy and insolent), a Greek (usually a doctor), an Armenian (a footman or money changer), a Jew (a goldsmith or scrap dealer), a Laz (a man from Blacksea coast) and a Persian (who recites poetry with an Azeri accent). The conclusion or bitis is short and consists of an argument between Karagöz and Hacivad, the latter finally shouting, "You ruined the

curtain, the Owner [means here the God) wih be sad", to which Karagöz replies, "just a imaginary story is said, forgive us the blunders we made." The candle is snuffed out, the screen darkens, and the world goes to sleep until the next show. The show is performed by a single master, aided by one or two apprentices, who speaks for all the characters, mimics the various voices and dialects, and sings the songs. Called the "Hayali" or "Hayalbaz" (Imaginary, Imagineer), the master is not only the performer but also the creative artist of the Karagöz show - a veritable artist who prepares the figures, performs the play, usually drawing on the traditional plot, but also making improvisations, and all the time maintaining a long, dramatic structure, moving from personality to personality without once appearing on the screen himself. The apprentice learns the craft from his master, and eventually sets up on his own. But this precious national heritage is in danger. Creating and re-interpreting the subtlety of character required great skill, regrettably, is now scarcely appreciated. (Mostly the masters copying the old figures but some are still designing his traditional characters even Hacivat and Karagöz). Collections are dispersed, often abroad where at least some museums have made a serious effort at conservation. Yet the art of shadow puppet is not recorded in any history of art and techniques of both manufacture and performance are in danger of fading away altogether.