The grand vizir lived in a palace modeled after the Sultan’s, having under him the same class of officials and servants even to ministers of state, and his household was conducted with great ceremony. Ibrahim’s salary was increased over that of the preceding grand vizir from 16,000 to 25,000 piastres[54] but he obtained much more from the disposal of public offices, and he also received enormous presents from those under him, although this was balanced by the large gifts he had to make to others. The property of a grand vizir was always confiscated at his death, which was doubtless one reason why a sultan could afford to lavish so much on a favorite minister, knowing that eventually it would all return to the imperial coffers. Dress and style were very carefully regulated in Turkey in the XVI century. The turban of the grand vizir, his barge with twelve pairs of oars and a green awning, the five horse‐tails that might be carried before him, all distinguished him from lower officials. He had eight guards of honor, and twelve led horses. When he appeared in public his hussars would cry aloud, “Peace unto you and divine clemence”, while the other soldiers responded in chorus, “May your fortunes be propitious; may Allah be your aid; may the Almighty protect the days of our sovereign and the pasha, our master; may they live long and happily.”[55] All of the public officials except the sheik‐ul‐Islam received their offices from the grand vizir, and were garbed in his presence with a caftan, or robe of state. The grand vizir and the sheik‐ul‐Islam were the only officials invested by the sultan himself and appointed for life. The divan was the imperial council, consisting of the vizirs, the defterdar, or secretary of finance, the nishanji who made out royal firmans and berats, and the sheik‐ul‐Islam or head of Islam. It was a council for discussion and wholly without power.