A Cultural History of the Ottomans : The Imperial Elite and Its Artefacts

Shew as previously Professoro fO ttomanS tudies at the Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich. Among her many publications are Travel and Artisans in the Ottoman Empire, Artisans of Empire, The Ottoman Empire and the World Around It, Pilgrims and Sultans and Subjects of the Sultan (all published by I.B.Tauris). 'Suraiya Faroqhi takes the reader on aj ourney of discovery: whether in the shape of ac rown, at ent, ar osewater bottle, ap istol, or ac offee cup, artefacts are here used to narrate an ew cultural history of the Ottoman Empire.W ithu niquee rudition andfl air, Faroqhic ombinesb old interpretations and intimate and little-known stories. The Ottoman elites, as if by magic, become alive.' Giorgio Riello, Professor of Global History and Culture, University of Warwick 'Every new book by Suraiya Faroqhi raises hitherto unsuspected questions and pushes our knowledge into adifferent sphere. This study of Ottoman material culture from the sixteenth to the mid nineteenth century ranges widely across research in art history, manufacturing, trade and consumption studies. It brings together diverse work on museum collections, portraits, plates and ceramics, on things worn, weighed and cultivated, on items taken as booty, offered as gifts or those simply treasured.' C. M. Woodhead, Teaching Fellow (Ottoman History), "Far from simply being a centre of military and economic activity, the Ottoman Empire represented a vivid and flourishing cultural realm. The artefacts and objects that remain from all corners of this vast empire illustrate the real and everyday concerns of its subjects and elites and, with this in mind, Suraiya Faroqhi, one of the most distinguished Ottomanists of her generation, has selected 40 of the most revealing, surprising and striking.Each image - reproduced in full colour - is deftly linked to the latest historiography, and the social, political and economic implications of her selections are never forgotten. In Faroqhi's hands, the objects become ways to learn more about trade, gender and socio-political status and open an enticing window onto the variety and colour of everyday life, from the Sultan's court, to the peasantry and slavery. Amongst its faiences and etchings and its sofras and carpets, A Cultural History of the Ottomans is essential reading for all those interested in the Ottoman Empire and its material culture. Faroqhi here provides the definitive insight into the luxuriant and varied artefacts of Ottoman world."--Bloomsbury Publishing. Far from simply being a centre of military and economic activity, the Ottoman Empire represented a vivid and flourishing cultural realm. The artefacts and objects that remain from all corners of this vast empire illustrate the real and everyday concerns of its subjects and elites and, with this in mind, Suraiya Faroqhi, one of the most distinguished Ottomanists of her generation, has selected 40 of the most revealing, surprising and striking. Each image - reproduced in full colour - is deftly linked to the latest historiography, and the social, political and economic implications of her selections are never forgotten. In Faroqhi’s hands, the objects become ways to learn more about trade, gender and socio-political status and open an enticing window onto the variety and colour of everyday life, from the Sultan’s court, to the peasantry and slavery. Amongst its faiences and etchings and its sofras and carpets, A Cultural History of the Ottomans is essential reading for all those interested in the Ottoman Empire and its material culture. Faroqhi here provides the definitive insight into the luxuriant and varied artefacts of Ottoman world. The Ottoman Empire was more than a center of military and economic activity; it was a vivid and flourishing cultural realm. The artefacts and objects remaining from all corners of this vast empire tell us a great deal about the everyday concerns of the Ottomans. In this book, Faroqhi, a leading historian on the Ottoman Empire, has selected the most revealing, surprising and striking examples of the artefacts which illuminate the lesser-known cultural and artistic world of the Ottomans. Each image reproduced in full color is deftly linked to the latest historiography, and the social, political and economic implications of her selections are never forgotten. In Faroqhi's hands, the objects become ways to learn more about trade, gender and socio-political status. They open an enticing window onto the variety and color of everyday life; from the Sultan's court, to the peasantry and slavery. Amongst its luxuriant faiences and etchings, its sofras and carpets, "A Cultural History of the Ottomans" is essential reading for all students of the Ottoman Empire and its material culture." Front cover Author biography Endorsements Title Copyright Dedication Map Contents List of Plates Acknowledgements A Note on Transliteration Introduction 1. Reusing the work of past times and foreign lands 2. The Ottoman sultan: victorious and pious 3. Society and its divisions 4. A world of three religions: Ottoman conquests and the non-Muslim population 5. Making war and peace: fighting, gift-giving and the delineation of borders 6. Eating and drinking, mostly from precious objects 7. Piles and piles of textiles and leathers 8. Earth, water, air and fire: the gifts and perils of nature Conclusion Glossary Timeline Notes Bibliography Index Plates section Back cover