This volume represents the first scholarly work in English devoted to the experience of Italian architects and builders in Turkey, as well as in many of the lands once belonging to the Ottoman Empire. Covering a complex cultural and political geography spanning from the Danubian principalities (today’s Romania) to Anatolia and the Aegean region, the book is the result of individual research experiences that were brought together and debated in an international conference in Istanbul in March 2013, organized in collaboration with the Italian Institute of Culture and Boğaziçi University. Grounded on a flexible notion of identitarian boundaries, the book explores a rich transcultural field of encounters and interactions, analyzed and evaluated by scholars from six different countries on the basis of hitherto uncovered archival materials. Forms, ideas, individual mobility of actors and materials, networks of patronage, material and political constraints, and religious and cultural difference all play a significant role in shaping the landscapes, buildings and architectural projects presented and discussed here. From late 18th and early 19th century experiences of interaction between neo-classical backgrounds and westernizing Ottoman forms to the Italian proposals for a Turkish republican iconic landmark like the Ataturk mausoleum in Ankara; from the design of the first Ottoman university building to Ottoman varieties of Art Nouveau and Art Deco, and to the infrastructures and urban developments of the 1950s in Turkey, the book is both a richly illustrated and documented overview of relevant cases, and a critical introduction to one of the most enticing areas of encounter in the global history of 19th and 20th century architecture and design.

Esra Akcan describes the introduction of modern architecture into Turkey after the Kemalist political elite took power in 1923 and invited German architects to redesign the new capital of Ankara.

A new approach to late Ottoman visual culture and its place in the world With its idiosyncratic yet unmistakable adaptation of European Baroque models, the eighteenth-century architecture of Istanbul has frequently been dismissed by modern observers as inauthentic and derivative, a view reflecting broader unease with notions of Western influence on Islamic cultures. In Ottoman Baroque—the first English-language book on the topic—Ünver Rüstem provides a compelling reassessment of this building style and shows how between 1740 and 1800 the Ottomans consciously coopted European forms to craft a new, politically charged, and globally resonant image for their empire’s capital. Rüstem reclaims the label “Ottoman Baroque” as a productive framework for exploring the connectedness of Istanbul’s eighteenth-century buildings to other traditions of the period. Using a wealth of primary sources, he demonstrates that this architecture was in its own day lauded by Ottomans and foreigners alike for its fresh, cosmopolitan effect. Purposefully and creatively assimilated, the style’s cross-cultural borrowings were combined with Byzantine references that asserted the Ottomans’ entitlement to the Classical artistic heritage of Europe. Such aesthetic rebranding was part of a larger endeavor to reaffirm the empire’s power at a time of intensified East-West contact, taking its boldest shape in a series of imperial mosques built across the city as landmarks of a state-sponsored idiom. Copiously illustrated and drawing on previously unpublished documents, Ottoman Baroque breaks new ground in our understanding of Islamic visual culture in the modern era and offers a persuasive counterpoint to Eurocentric accounts of global art history.

Italy and the Islamic World tells the story of how Italian cities have been centres of international exchange for centuries, linking Europe with the most storied marketplaces of the Middle East and North Africa. From the Ancient Roman period and the Renaissance to the rise of the Italian Republic, Italy has been a global crossroads for more than two millennia. In Ali Humayun Akhtar's new picture of European history, Italy's debates about trade with its southern neighbours evoke an earlier era of encounters - one that sheds light on where the EU is heading today.

In this insightful volume, a range of scholars from different backgrounds and disciplines delves into the intricate world of Levantine Studies, unraveling the multifaceted history, identities, and communities that have shaped the region. Spanning the long nineteenth century until the present day, this collection offers a fresh and nuanced perspective on the Levant, challenging traditional paradigms and shedding light on previously unexplored aspects of Levantine life. Through their meticulous research and compelling narratives, the authors explore the hidden histories of marginalized populations, examine the formation of communal ties beyond conventional affiliations, and shed light on the daily complexities of Levantine life through the lens of individual experiences and microhistories. As the field has undergone shifts in focus and methodology, this volume reflects – and pushes the boundaries of – the diversity and complexity of contemporary Levantine Studies. It opens up new avenues for research and grapples with the pressing questions of our era, including the environmental and material foundations of cosmopolitan lifestyles, the sociocultural reverberations of imperialism, and the impact of global crisis on our understanding of the Levant. With its rich insights and thought-provoking analysis, Levantines of the Ottoman World: Communities, Identities, and Cultures offers a compelling and comprehensive exploration of Levantine Studies that will captivate readers, offer an indispensable resource for scholars, and spark further inquiry into this fascinating field.

From 1326 to 1402, Bursa, known to the Byzantines as Prousa, served as the first capital of the Ottoman Empire. It retained its spiritual and commercial importance even after Edirne (Adrianople) in Thrace, and later Constantinople (Istanbul), functioned as Ottoman capitals. Yet, to date, no comprehensive study has been published on the city's role as the inaugural center of a great empire. In works by art and architectural historians, the city has often been portrayed as having a small or insignificant pre-Ottoman past, as if the Ottomans created the city from scratch. This couldn't be farther from the truth. In this book, rooted in the author's archaeological experience, Suna Çagaptay tells the story of the transition from a Byzantine Christian city to an Islamic Ottoman one, positing that Bursa was a multi-faith capital where we can see the religious plurality and modernity of the Ottoman world. The encounter between local and incoming forms, as this book shows, created a synthesis filled with nuance, texture, and meaning. Indeed, when one looks more closely and recognizes that the contributions of the past do not threaten the authenticity of the present, a richer and more accurate narrative of the city and its Ottoman accommodation emerges.

This volume will serve to enrich the reader’s understanding of the impact of World War I on Eastern Europe, by bringing together authors from all over Europe specialising in the history of this area. It presents a retrospective approach and a re-evaluation of this event, the lasting effects of which still make themselves felt in some regions today. Case studies, memoirs, journals, and the printed press of the time are all examined in order to paint a vivid picture of the Great War in Eastern Europe, and particularly in Romania. The chapters offer fresh perspectives on topics connected to the war, including the contribution of women and the emancipation opportunities for them, the social changes that occurred, and the propaganda in Romanian territory. They also review the League of Nations and the protection of international minorities, particularly in those regions where new boundaries were created, and where the application of national self-determination still left substantial communities outside the frontiers of the respective states.