Writing History at the Ottoman Court : Editing the Past, Fashioning the Future

Ottoman historical writing of the 15th and 16th centuries played a significant role in fashioning Ottoman identity and institutionalizing the dynastic state structure during this period of rapid imperial expansion. This volume shows how the writing of history achieved these effects by examining the implicit messages conveyed by the texts and illustrations of key manuscripts. It answers such questions as how the Ottomans understood themselves within their court and in relation to non-Ottoman others; how they visualized the ideal ruler; how they defined their culture and place in the world; and what the significance of Islam was in their self-definition. 1. The Historical Epic Aḥval-i Sulṭan Meḥemmed (the Tales Of Sultan Mehmed) In The Context Of Early Ottoman Historiography / Dimitris Kastritsis -- 2. The Memory Of The Mongols In Early Ottoman Historiography / Baki Tezcan -- 3. Imperialism, Bureaucratic Consciousness, And The Historian's Craft: A Reading Of Celalzade Muṣṭafa's Ṭabaḳatü'l-memalik Ve Derecatü'l-mesalik / Kaya Sahin -- 4. Conversion And Converts To Islam In Ottoman Historiography Of The Fifteenth And Sixteenth Centuries / Tijana Krstic -- 5. Seeing The Past: Maps And Ottoman Historical Consciousness / Giancarlo Casale -- 6. From Adam To Süleyman: Visual Representations Of Authority In ʻarif's Shahnama-yi Al-i ʻoșman / Fatma Sinem Eryilmaz -- 7. The Challenge Of Periodization: New Patterns In Nineteenth-century Ottoman Historiography / Hakan T. Karateke. Edited By H. Erdem Çıpa And Emine Fetvacı. Revised Versions Of Papers Presented At A Conference Held Oct. 2009 At Indiana University. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. CONTENTS 6 Preface 8 Note on Transliteration 14 Acknowledgments 16 1 Historical Epic Ahvāl-i Sultān Mehemmed (The Tales of Sultan Mehmed) in the Context of Early Ottoman Historiography \ Dimitris Kastritsis 20 2 The Memory of the Mongols in Early Ottoman Historiography \ Baki Tezcan 42 3 Imperialism, Bureaucratic Consciousness, and the Historian’s Craft: A Reading of Celālzāde Muṡṫafā’s Ṫabak ̇ātüʾl-Memālik ve Derecātüʾl-Mesālik \ Kaya Şahin 58 4 Conversion and Converts to Islam in Ottoman Historiography of the Fifteenth and Sixteenth Centuries \ Tijana Krstić 77 5 Seeing the Past: Maps and Ottoman Historical Consciousness \ Giancarlo Casale 99 6 From Adam to Süleyman: Visual Representations of Authority in ʿĀrif’s Shāhnāma-yi Āl-i ʿOsmān \ Fatma Sinem Eryılmaz 119 7 The Challenge of Periodization: New Patterns in Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Historiography \ Hakan T. Karateke 148 Bibliography 174 Contributors 190 Index 192