The Ottoman City between East and West: Aleppo, Izmir, and Istanbul (Cambridge Studies in Islamic Civilization)

Studies Of Early Modern Middle Eastern Cities, Whether Classified As Islamic, Arab, Or Ottoman, Have Stressed The Atypical, The Idiosyncratic, Or The Aberrant. This Bias Derives Largely From Orientalist Presumptions That These Cities Were In Some Way Substandard Or Deviant. One Purpose Of This Volume Is To Normalize Ottoman Cities, To Emphasize How, On The One Hand, They Resembled Cities In General And How, On The Other, Their Specific Historical Situations Individualized Each Of Them. The Second Is To Present A Challenge To The Previous Literature And To Negotiate An Agenda For Future Study. By Considering The Narrative Histories Of Aleppo, Izmir (smyrna), And Istanbul During Their Ottoman Periods, The Book Offers A Fundamental Departure From The Piecemeal Methods Of Previous Studies, Emphasizing The Importance Of These Cities During The Seventeenth And Eighteenth Centuries And Highlighting Their Essentially Ottoman Character.--jacket. Aleppo : The Ottoman Empire's Caravan City / Bruce Masters -- Izmir : From Village To Colonial Port City / Daniel Goffman -- Istanbul : From Imperial To Peripheralized Capital / Edhem Eldem. Edhem Eldem, Daniel Goffman, And Bruce Masters. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 215-227) And Index. "Studies of early modern Middle Eastern cities, whether classified as Islamic, Arab, or Ottoman, have stressed the atypical, the idiosyncratic, or the aberrant. This bias derives largely from orientalist presumptions that these cities were in some way substandard or deviant. One purpose of this volume is to normalize Ottoman cities, to emphasize how, on the one hand, they resembled cities in general and how, on the other, their specific historical situations individualized each of them. The second is to present a challenge to the previous literature and to negotiate an agenda for future study. By considering the narrative histories of Aleppo, Izmir (Smyrna), and Istanbul during their Ottoman periods, the book offers a fundamental departure from the piecemeal methods of previous studies, emphasizing the importance of these cities during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries and highlighting their essentially Ottoman character."--BOOK JACKET. In a pioneering reinterpretation, the authors challenge the orientalist perception of the Islamic city. By considering the histories of three Ottoman cities in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, they depart from the piecemeal methods of previous studies to emphasize the importance of these cities and to highlight their essentially Ottoman character. While the essays provide an overall view, each can be approached separately. Their exploration of the sources and the agendas of those who have conditioned our understanding of these cities will make them essential reading for students. This work aims to normalise Ottoman cities by demonstrating how they resembled cities generally, yet their specific histories individualised them Crowned with an imposing citadel, Aleppo made a lasting impression on all who caught their first glimpse of it during the Ottoman period.