Nature and Empire in Ottoman Egypt: An Environmental History (Studies in Environment and History)

In one of the first ever environmental histories of the Ottoman Empire, Alan Mikhail examines relations between the empire and its most lucrative province of Egypt. Based on both the local records of various towns and villages in rural Egypt and the imperial orders of the Ottoman state, this book charts how changes in the control of natural resources fundamentally altered the nature of Ottoman imperial sovereignty in Egypt and throughout the empire. In revealing how Egyptian peasants were able to use their knowledge and experience of local environments to force the hand of the imperial state, Nature and Empire in Ottoman Egypt tells a story of the connections of empire stretching from canals in the Egyptian countryside to the palace in Istanbul, from the forests of Anatolia to the shores of the Red Sea, and from a plague flea's bite to the fortunes of one of the most powerful states of the early modern world. In one of the first ever environmental histories of the Ottoman Empire, Alan Mikhail examines relations between the empire and its most lucrative province of Egypt. Based on both the local records of various towns and villages in rural Egypt and the imperial orders of the Ottoman state, this book charts how changes in the control of natural resources fundamentally altered the nature of Ottoman imperial sovereignty in Egypt and throughout the empire. In revealing how Egyptian peasants were able to use their knowledge and experience of local environments to force the hand of the imperial state, Nature and Empire in Ottoman Egypt tells a story of the connections of empire stretching from canals in the Egyptian countryside to the palace in Istanbul, from the Anatolian forest to the shores of the Red Sea, and from a plague flea's bite to the fortunes of one of the most powerful states of the early modern world. "In the first ever environmental history of Ottoman Egypt, Alan Mikhail brings to life the complex relationships between Egyptians, their rural world along the Nile, and the Ottoman Empire. This detailed account of irrigation, grain cultivation, the movement of wood, disease, and labor challenges many longstanding ideas in both Ottoman and Egyptian history while at the same time demonstrating how environmental history offers new ways of thinking about the Middle East. This path braking book should be read by all those with interests in the Middle East, the Ottoman Empire, Egypt, environmental history, and early modern history"-- Résumé de l'éditeur "In the first ever environmental history of Ottoman Egypt, Alan Mikhail brings to life the complex relationships between Egyptians, their rural world along the Nile, and the Ottoman Empire. This detailed account of irrigation, grain cultivation, the movement of wood, disease, and labor challenges many longstanding ideas in both Ottoman and Egyptian history while at the same time demonstrating how environmental history offers new ways of thinking about the Middle East. This path braking book should be read by all those with interests in the Middle East, the Ottoman Empire, Egypt, environmental history, and early modern history"-- Provided by publisher Frontmatter Maps (page xi) Figures (page xiii) Tables (page xv) Note on Transliteration and Dates (page xvii) Abbreviations (page xix) Acknowledgments (page xxi) Introduction — Empire by Nature (page 1) 1 Watering the Earth (page 38) 2 The Food Chain (page 82) 3 The Framework of Empire (page 124) 4 In Working Order (page 170) 5 From Nature to Disease (page 201) 6 Another Nile (page 242) Conclusion — The Imagination and Reality of Public Works (page 291) Appendix — Citations for Cases Included in Tables 2.1-2.4 (page 297) Bibliography (page 305) Index (page 331)