Synopses & Reviews
To date no book has explored the day-to-day life of the common people during the centuries of Ottoman rule. Suraiya Foroqhi here explores the urban world of the Ottoman lands from the Middle Ages to the early twentieth century. She describes the social significance of the popular arts and crafts of the period and examines the interaction among the diverse populations and classes of the Empire. She also brings to life the banalities associated with everyday life, such as bathing, the market, loving and grieving--all explored for the first time.
About the Author
Suraiya Faroqhi is Professor of Ottoman Studies at the Ludwig Maximilians University, Munich, and the author of
Pilgrims and Sultans (I.B.Tauris).
Table of Contents
Part I: Culture: How it was Created and Disseminated * The Economic and Social Structure of the ottoman Empire in Early Modern Times * Images of the World and the Times * Borders and Those Who Crossed Them * Women's Culture * Part II: The Arts * Architects, Pious Foundations and Architectural Aesthetics * Town Life: Urban Identity and Lifestyle * Ceremonies, Festivals and the Decorative Arts * Readers, Writers and Storytellers * Food, Drink and Sociability * Part III: Cultural Change * Crises and New Beginnings, 1770-1839 * Elegance Alafranga, Social Criticism and Tomatoes: Transformations in the Culture of the Ottoman Upper Class, 1840-1914 * In Conclusion * Notes * Chronology * Bibliography * Index