Search Results (178)

Drawing on phenomenological observations from an extensive corpus of 68 Western travelogs and memoirs, this study analyzes the Ottoman urban and social fabric from the 15th to the early 20th century through the lens of stimulants and intoxicants. It examines how coffee and tobacco, entering the empire as cultural commodities in the 16th century, transitioned from theological objections to socio-legal legitimacy, fostering the emergence of coffeehouses as dynamic “third spaces” that reproduced social hierarchies. Concurrently, the consumption of alcohol and opium—evaluated from a jurisprudential perspective due to their intoxicating effects—is shown navigating a paradoxical relationship between official prohibitions and civil reality. Rather than replicating the Orientalist imagination that frequently encoded Eastern pleasure rituals through an ontology of inertia and indolence, this paper repositions these practices as constitutive elements of social dynamism, urban identity, and spatial memory. Ultimately, by deciphering the historical dichotomy between constructed Western discourse and the heterogeneous, everyday reality of the empire, this study offers a holistic perspective on Ottoman material culture. Full article

The Greek dialects of Lesvos and Adrianople (present-day Edirne) during the time of the Ottoman Empire have much in common. Both are northern dialects and show considerable influence from Turkish; moreover, both were documented in the early 20th century, before the fall of the Ottoman Empire, by Kretschmer, in 1905, for Lesvos and by Ronzevalle, in 1911, for Adrianople. A comparative look at the two dialects reveals deep penetration of Turkish into their respective lexicons, with consequences for their phonology, and for Adrianople, into aspects of its grammar too. I focus here on a phonological matter, namely the conditions under which voiced stops (D) occur. Kretschmer’s song recordings from Lesvos show D only after full nasals (N), i.e., in ND clusters, while later documentation, Newton 1972, shows no nasality, with only D as the realization, even in words with ND earlier. Adrianople Greek shows intervocalic D but also ND clusters, only in Turkish loans and always matching the consonantism of the Turkish source; such is the case too in ND/D variation in rebetika songs from Istanbul. This suggests that the issue really involves a kind of dialect mixing, and it is argued that this holds even for Lesvos, and even for sociolinguistically coded variation. Thus, bringing Adrianople Greek into consideration clarifies the nature of voiced stop realizations in Lesvos phonology. Full article

Beyoğlu emerged as one of the principal centers of Western influence in the late Ottoman Empire due to the presence of Levantine communities and European institutions. This study investigates the role of the Sixth Municipal Department, the first modern municipal organization in the Ottoman Empire, in shaping urban governance, architecture, and cultural transformation in Beyoğlu. Using a historical-analytical approach, the research examines Ottoman archival documents, travelogues, memoirs, contemporary newspapers, architectural evidence, and secondary literature. The findings demonstrate that Levantines occupied influential positions within the municipal administration and significantly shaped urban development through investments in transportation, lighting, sanitation, public spaces, and architectural projects. However, municipal services were distributed unevenly and primarily benefited affluent Levantine and European residents, while poorer Muslim and non-Muslim neighborhoods received limited attention. The study further reveals that the Sixth Municipal Building, designed in a European Neo-Classical style, symbolized the institutional and architectural dimensions of Ottoman Westernization. Beyond urban administration, Levantine influence contributed to transformations in social life, consumption patterns, language, and architectural culture. The article concludes that the Sixth Municipal Department played a pioneering role in the emergence of modern municipal governance in the Ottoman Empire, while simultaneously reflecting the social inequalities and cultural dynamics that accompanied the Westernization process. Full article

Separation sciences in Türkiye have evolved from early laboratory-based instruction into a robust, multidisciplinary field integral to analytical chemistry. The foundational roots were established before the Ottoman period and were further strengthened with the integration of chemistry into medical, pharmacy, military, and technical curricula. Following the inception of Darülfünun, the first European-style higher education institution and subsequent Republican-era academic reforms, chemistry emerged as an independent discipline supported by specialized institutes and training programs. Collaborative efforts by Turkish and foreign scientists fostered a rigorous laboratory culture, laying the groundwork for modern analytical practices. Since the mid-twentieth century, advanced sample preparation, chromatographic, electrophoretic, and mass spectrometry-based methods have become pivotal across Turkish research centers. Today, these methodologies drive critical applications in environmental monitoring, pharmaceutical and biomedical analysis, food safety, toxicology, forensic science, and industrial quality control. Reflecting this sustained growth and rising international prominence, Türkiye was formally admitted to the Central European Group of Separation Sciences at the 29th International Symposium on Separation Sciences in Belgrade, Serbia, in September 2025. This article provides a comprehensive historical overview of separation sciences in Türkiye, highlighting institutional evolution, major scientific contributors, and the contemporary research directions shaping the field’s future. Full article

This review examines non-Muslim cemeteries in Istanbul as multicultural urban heritage landscapes, using the Feriköy Protestant Cemetery as its principal case. Rather than treating cemeteries solely as religious or funerary spaces, it conceptualizes them as material archives of urban memory, minority presence, spatial displacement, and heritage governance. Drawing on a literature review, historical documentation, spatial mapping, and field observation, the article first traces the transformation of non-Muslim cemeteries from the Ottoman period to the Republican period, with particular attention to their relocation, disappearance, and reuse within processes of urban modernization. It then analyses the Feriköy Protestant Cemetery in terms of its establishment, multinational governance structure, architectural and funerary features, transferred memorial elements, digitisation practices, and conservation initiatives. The case illustrates the layered relationships among urban development, multicultural identity, and sustainable conservation. The article argues that Istanbul’s surviving non-Muslim cemeteries should be understood as living spaces of memory and cultural landscapes whose protection requires documentation, public awareness, and multi-actor heritage governance. Full article

Industrial heritage sites have predominantly been examined through visual, material, and conservation-oriented frameworks, while the haptic and embodied ways in which contemporary users experience reused industrial heritage environments remain comparatively underexplored. Focusing on Tophane-i Amire Culture and Art Centre, a historically significant Ottoman industrial heritage site repurposed as a contemporary cultural and artistic centre, this study examines how material contact, bodily movement, and tactile encounters contribute to the sensory heritage experience. Rather than proposing haptic sensewalking as a new method, the study uses an existing sensewalking approach in a haptic-centred way within the specific context of an Ottoman industrial heritage site undergoing adaptive reuse. Sensory data were generated through in situ walking observations, embodied sensory narratives, tactile descriptions, researcher field notes, and post-walk reflective accounts. The findings suggest that, within this haptic-focused protocol, participants did not describe the site merely as a visual-historical object. Instead, they articulated Tophane-i Amire as an embodied haptic environment in which rough stone textures, participant-perceived coldness and material heaviness, spatial thresholds, uneven walking surfaces, and movement-based encounters made architectural space bodily noticeable. The study does not claim that ordinary visitors naturally prioritise haptic experience; rather, it examines what participants articulated when their sensory attention was deliberately oriented toward tactile, thermal, kinaesthetic, and embodied aspects of the reused industrial heritage environment. The article makes two main contributions. Empirically, it shows how participants described haptic experience at Tophane-i Amire through encounters with rough stone surfaces, participant-perceived thermal qualities, thresholds, floors, and bodily movement. Conceptually, it interprets industrial heritage not only as a visual or material object but also as an embodied haptic environment in which historical meaning is sensed through touch, temperature, movement, and spatial negotiation. Full article

The selection of materials for enhancing the energy performance of historic mosque structures, which form a significant part of Türkiye’s cultural heritage, should be based on scientifically supported methodologies and should also consider their architectural nature. In this work, an innovative Energy3D–MADA approach is developed for the comparative evaluation of thermal performance and sustainable selection of heritage natural stones. The proposed framework concentrates on the thermal aspect, while environmental, economic, mechanical, and material-related acoustic indicators are used as supplementary decision indicators. The study examined eight representative heritage natural stones using a representative Ottoman composite masonry wall. For the four climatic regions of Türkiye, the energy performance was predicted, and 32 scenarios were obtained. The annual heating and cooling energy requirements, total operational energy, operational CO₂ emissions, and costs of wall manufacturing were investigated through Energy3D. The results of the simulation indicated that the natural stones had a considerable impact on the performance of historic mosque buildings. Od Stone (Tuff) had the lowest heating and cooling annual energy demand, the minimum total operational energy consumption, and the fewest operational CO₂ emissions among all the alternatives considered, while Red Granite had the greatest energy demand. Compared to Red Granite, Od Stone achieved reductions in annual heating energy of 31%, in total operational energy consumption of 22–25%, and in operational CO₂ emissions of 22–25%, with only about a 1% increase in initial construction cost. Spearman’s rank correlation analysis (ρ) indicated the same ranking in all climate regions, which demonstrated the ranking consistency of the Energy3D-based comparative analysis. Ultimately, the Energy3D simulation outcomes were combined with the LODECI, MEREC, SPC, SIWEC-M, and ALPAS techniques to formulate a decision-support system for the comparative analysis and prioritization of heritage natural stones, to support sustainable mosque design and heritage conservation planning. Full article

Historical buildings represent a fundamental component of cultural heritage, and their preservation is of paramount importance for future generations. In the context of Turkey, Ulu Mosques represent a distinctive architectural and historical phenomenon, erected during the periods of the Seljuk, Principalities, and Ottoman empires, primarily serving as centres for Friday and Eid prayers. The location of these mosques in city centres is indicative of their role as symbols of both cultural identity and social power. Nevertheless, it is an established fact that earthquakes have caused serious damage to many historical masonry structures over time. This study investigates the seismic behaviour of the historical Ulu Mosque located in Uşak province, Türkiye. To this end, three-dimensional finite element models of the mosque were created, and both linear and nonlinear time-history analyses were conducted using ABAQUS/Standard v10 software. The analyses were performed using the ground motion record of the 1999 Kocaeli (Izmit) earthquake, which had a moment magnitude of Mw = 7.4. In the nonlinear analyses, the Concrete Damage Plasticity (CDP) model was employed to represent the nonlinear behaviour and damage mechanisms of masonry materials under earthquake loading. The objective of the present study is twofold: firstly, to enhance the comprehension of the manner in which historical masonry mosques respond to seismic effects, and secondly, to identify areas that are vulnerable to damage. Stress limits were exceeded in these areas. Tensile stress has been identified as the primary factor in damage occurrence. This situation can be attributed to the inherent resilience of masonry structures in resisting compressive stresses. Stress limits were exceeded in these areas. Tensile stress has been identified as the primary factor in damage occurrence. This situation can be attributed to the inherent resilience of masonry structures in resisting compressive stresses. Full article

A Orhan Pamuk’s first novel, Cevdet Bey and His Sons (Cevdet Bey ve Oğulları), published in 1982, follows three generations of an Istanbul bourgeois family from the late Ottoman period to the 1970s. Set during the transition from the Ottoman Empire to the Republic of Turkey, the novel explores the social and cultural tensions accompanying Turkish modernization. This article examines father–child relationships in the novel through the theoretical framework of multiple modernities. Rejecting the assumption that modernization follows a singular Western model, the study approaches Turkish modernization as a historically specific and layered experience shaped by local social and cultural dynamics. Within this context, the article focuses on paternal authority, masculine identity, intergenerational expectation, and memory across three generations of the family. The study further analyzes how photographs, domestic spaces, rituals, and everyday narratives preserve the symbolic presence of the father after death, allowing paternal authority to persist across generations. The article argues that the novel presents a representative portrait of an Istanbul bourgeois family negotiating the tensions between tradition and modernity during the Ottoman–Republican transition. Full article

This study examines late Ottoman provincial municipal architecture through a multi-layered analytical framework focusing on production, transformation, and spatial integration. While municipal buildings in Ottoman imperial centers have been widely studied, their provincial counterparts remain underexplored, particularly regarding adaptive reuse processes, institutional continuity, and urban positioning. The research focuses on the Uluborlu Municipality Mansion, a structure hypothesized to have originated as a commercial building and later allocated for municipal use. The study employs a combined methodology integrating archival analysis, field survey, morphological interpretation, and comparative reading. Findings suggest that provincial municipal buildings were often shaped through allocation, adaptive reuse, and incremental transformation rather than through purpose-built construction. The Uluborlu case illustrates how successive institutional functions were accommodated within existing structures, enabling administrative continuity despite changing economic and political conditions. Furthermore, the building’s location along a principal civic axis highlights the role of municipal architecture in organizing urban morphology and materializing administrative visibility in smaller Anatolian towns. This study proposes the concept of adaptive spatial infrastructure to describe municipal buildings as evolving spatial systems capable of absorbing functional change while sustaining institutional continuity. By emphasizing allocation, transformation, and urban integration, the article contributes to broader discussions on adaptive reuse, provincial modernization, and the production of administrative space beyond capital-centered narratives. Full article

Ottoman literary culture was inherently multilingual, interweaving Arabic, Persian, and Anatolian Turkish without requiring audiences to translate or decode source texts. This paper examines the reception and resonance of one of the most celebrated poems in the Islamic world, Qaṣīdat al-Burdah (The Poem of the Mantle) by al-Būṣīrī (d. 1294–97), with a particular focus on its role in Ottoman culture. The Burdah’s transmission unfolded across three interconnected dimensions: textual, visual, and ritual. Through richly adorned multilingual manuscripts, architectural inscriptions, and liturgical performances, the poem circulated widely, evoking both reverence and aesthetic admiration. The Burdah’s association with the Prophet Muḥammad—especially the belief that al-Būṣīrī was miraculously healed after composing it—further reinforced its spiritual significance. Rhythmic recitations and collective singing of the poem became integral components of devotional gatherings. By analyzing this multifaceted reception, the paper demonstrates how Ottoman multilingual manuscripts and ritual performances preserved and revitalized Arabic and Persian poetic traditions, thereby deeply embedding them in Ottoman religious and literary life. Full article

The intersection of state power and literary dissent in the early Turkish Republic provides a critical context for understanding how modern nation-states manage intellectual opposition. Prevailing historiography often compartmentalizes the prominent socialist-realist writer Sabahattin Ali’s career into disconnected traditionalist and secular Marxist phases. Challenging this assumption of linear rupture, this study synthesizes genetic criticism, James C. Scott’s theory of hidden transcripts, and Lev Loseff’s concept of Aesopian language to reveal Ali’s underlying epistemological continuity. Examining an expanded corpus—including early poetry, coerced carceral revisions, private correspondence, and socio-realist prose—the analysis demonstrates that his early literary formation became a vital repertoire for negotiating state coercion. Findings show he strategically deployed the Sufi Ottoman zâhir-bâtın (external form versus inner essence) paradigm to camouflage Marxist commitments beneath a performative public transcript of nationalist compliance. Concurrently, he repurposed a transitional polysemic lexicon—navigating Sufi technical usage, classical literary inheritance, and broader Ottoman–Turkish colloquialisms—to articulate secular, revolutionary awakenings. Ultimately, while authoritarian coercion exacts a superficial public transcript of conformity, the hidden transcript of intellectual autonomy remains highly resilient, utilizing traditional theological frameworks for modern political evasion. Full article

(1) Background: This study develops a hybrid assessment matrix for the early identification of material-related risks in adaptive reuse projects, with a particular focus on material conservation. The Material Conservation for Adaptive Reuse Risk Evaluation Matrix (M-CARE) integrates UNESCO Tools, the ICCROM ABC Method and its agents of deterioration, and the material damage classifications of the MDCS Damage Atlas. (2) Methods: The framework was tested through a case study of Issız Han, an Early Ottoman caravanserai. Risk mechanisms identified through M-CARE were compared with deterioration patterns documented after 18 years of post-reuse operation. The comparison focused on the degree of correspondence between predicted deterioration mechanisms and observed deterioration patterns. (3) Results: The findings indicate a high degree of correspondence between the deterioration mechanisms identified through M-CARE and the deterioration patterns documented during field surveys. In particular, moisture-related deterioration patterns showed substantial correspondence with the risks identified during the assessment stage. The results also highlight the influence of cumulative microclimatic factors and the value of complementary analytical approaches for evaluating long-term deterioration processes. (4) Conclusions: M-CARE provides a practical and rapidly applicable decision-support framework for the early identification and classification of material-related risks in adaptive reuse projects, supporting more informed conservation planning and proactive heritage management. Full article

Cultural heritage assets in seismic metropolitan regions are increasingly exposed to interacting natural hazards, yet disaster risk assessments for historic buildings often remain limited to single-hazard interpretations. This study addresses this gap by developing a Geographic Information Systems (GIS)-based multi-hazard risk assessment for Ferhatpaşa Mosque, a sixteenth-century Ottoman heritage asset located in Çatalca, Istanbul. Eight spatial parameters were evaluated at the neighborhood scale: slope, elevation, aspect, precipitation, distance to fault lines, distance to hydrological features, land use, and soil capability. The model was developed through Weighted Overlay analysis and interdisciplinary expert-based weighting. Distance to fault lines and precipitation received the highest weights, each accounting for 17.22% of the model, followed by distance to hydrological features and soil capability, each weighted at 13.89%. The final risk map classified 71.99% of the study area as medium risk, 28% as low risk, and 0.02% as high risk. Ferhatpaşa Mosque was located within the medium-risk zone, approximately 29,600 m from active fault lines, 250 m from the nearest dry streambed, 800 m from the nearest stream, and 320 m from the nearest high-risk zone. These findings demonstrate that the mosque’s risk profile is shaped not by seismic proximity alone, but by the cumulative interaction of topography, precipitation, hydrology, soil conditions, and land-use characteristics. The proposed model provides a spatial decision-support framework for integrating cultural heritage conservation into sustainable disaster risk reduction and local risk mitigation planning. Full article

This article examines two reports dated 4 October 1897 and 6 January 1898 written by the Ottoman military attaché in Madrid, Reşid bin Galib, Staff Senior Captain (Kolağası), to analyze how the late Ottoman Empire interpreted the Spanish military structure and the insurrection in Cuba. Situated within the broader development of nineteenth-century military intelligence practices, the study employs textual and contextual analysis, focusing on institutional language, strategic categorization, and threat perception. The report dated 4 October 1897 provides a detailed account of the military-administrative organization in Cuba, including command hierarchy, troop distribution, logistical infrastructure, and internal security mechanisms, while the report dated 6 January 1898 evaluates the historical trajectory of the rebellion and offers a comparative assessment of combat- and disease-related casualties, highlighting the importance of logistical and administrative capacity in warfare. Taken together, these documents show that Ottoman military intelligence systematically monitored a colonial crisis beyond Europe and interpreted it through an institutional military framework. The reports also reflect late Ottoman concerns regarding external intervention, security, and imperial stability. By examining a non-European colonial conflict, the article demonstrates how military knowledge was transferred, reframed, and integrated across imperial contexts, thereby contributing to the historiography of Ottoman military attachés and highlighting their role in shaping the Empire’s global strategic awareness at the turn of the twentieth century. Full article