The Arabs of the Ottoman Empire, 1516-1918 : a social and cultural history

The Ottomans Ruled Much Of The Arab World For Four Centuries. Bruce Masters's Work Surveys This Period, Emphasizing The Cultural And Social Changes That Occurred Against The Backdrop Of The Political Realities That Arabs Experienced As Subjects Of The Ottoman Sultans. The Persistence Of Ottoman Rule Over A Vast Area For Several Centuries Required That Some Arabs Collaborate In The Imperial Enterprise. Masters Highlights The Role Of Two Social Classes That Made The Empire Successful: The Sunni Muslim Religious Scholars, The Ulama, And The Urban Notables, The Acyan. Both Groups Identified With The Ottoman Sultanate And Were Its Firmest Backers, Although For Different Reasons. The Ulama Legitimated The Ottoman State As A Righteous Muslim Sultanate, While The Acyan Emerged As The Dominant Political And Economic Class In Most Arab Cities Due To Their Connections To The Regime. Together, The Two Helped To Maintain The Empire-- Machine Generated Contents Note: 1. The Establishment And Survival Of Ottoman Rule In The Arab Lands, 1516-1798; 2. Institutions Of Ottoman Rule; 3. Economy And Society In The Early Modern Era; 4. A World Of Scholars And Saints: Intellectual Life In The Ottoman Arab Lands; 5. The Empire At War: Napoleon, The Wahhabis, And Mehmed Ali; 6. The Tanzimat And The Time Of Re-ottomanization; 7. The End Of The Relationship. Bruce Masters, Wesleyan University. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "The Ottomans ruled much of the Arab World for four centuries. Bruce Masters's work surveys this period, emphasizing the cultural and social changes that occurred against the backdrop of the political realities that Arabs experienced as subjects of the Ottoman sultans. The persistence of Ottoman rule over a vast area for several centuries required that some Arabs collaborate in the imperial enterprise. Masters highlights the role of two social classes that made the empire successful: the Sunni Muslim religious scholars, the ulama, and the urban notables, the acyan. Both groups identified with the Ottoman sultanate and were its firmest backers, although for different reasons. The ulama legitimated the Ottoman state as a righteous Muslim sultanate, while the acyan emerged as the dominant political and economic class in most Arab cities due to their connections to the regime. Together, the two helped to maintain the empire"-- Provided by publisher Overview The Ottomans ruled much of the Arab World for four centuries. Bruce Masters's work surveys this period, emphasizing the cultural and social changes that occurred against the backdrop of the political realities that Arabs experienced as subjects of the Ottoman sultans. The persistence of Ottoman rule over a vast area for several centuries required that some Arabs collaborate in the imperial enterprise. Masters highlights the role of two social classes that made the empire successful: the Sunni Muslim religious scholars, the ulama, and the urban notables, the acyan. Both groups identified with the Ottoman sultanate and were its firmest backers, although for different reasons. The ulama legitimated the Ottoman state as a righteous Muslim sultanate, while the acyan emerged as the dominant political and economic class in most Arab cities due to their connections to the regime. Together, the two helped to maintain the empire Cover 1 Title 4 TABLE of CONTENTS 8 Acknowledgments 10 Abbreviations 12 Note on Transliteration 14 Introduction 16 1 - The Establishment and Survival of Ottoman Rule in the Arab Lands 1516-1798 35 2 - Institutions of Ottoman Rule 63 3 - Economy and Society in the Early Modern Era 88 4 - A World of Scholars and Saints - Intellectual Life in the Ottoman Arab Lands 118 5 - The Empire at War - Napoleon, The Wahhabis and Mehmed Ali 145 6 - The Tanzimat and the Time of Re-Ottomanization 172 7 - The End of the Relationship 207 Conclusion 240 Bibliography 248 Index 266