1. The Ottoman Empire

2. THE OTTOMANS… Blended old and new Moral-religious and legal advances
Embraced and utilized cultural diversity

3. The Origin of the “Ottomans”
“Ottoman” is a Europeanized form of a Turkish name– Osman I, a ghazi or Holy warrior who forged strategic alliances and conquered territories in Western Anatolia. He is known as the founder and the Empire’s first Sultan.

4. Osman I (reigned 1299–1326)
Osman was a “ghazi” or warrior, one of many who led bands of Seljuk Turks and other Central Asian warriors (defeated by the Mongols to the East) to claim territory controlled by the weakening Byzantine Empire (to the West) for Islam.

5. Bursa, the First Ottoman Capital (founded 1299)

6. Early Expansion
Osman’s son, Sultan Orhan I created a highly effective standing army (unique in the region) and began campaigns to East and West.
Imperial territory expanded swiftly in Anatolia and the Balkans, then south into the Levant.

7. The Ottoman Balkans

8. Edirne, the Second Ottoman Capital (conquered 1363)

9. Edirne, the Second Ottoman Capital (conquered 1363)

10. Istanbul,* the Third Ottoman Capital (conquered 1453 – first attempt 1420)

11. The Fall of Constantinople
In 1453, the Ottomans finally conquered Constantinople, all that remained of the once-great Byzantine Empire—
“Istanbul” is an Turkified version of the Greek word polis, meaning city. Constantinople was such a big deal that in those days it was usually called, quite simply, The City.

12. The Fall of Constantinople, Cont’d

13. Hagia Sophia (Aya Sofya)

14. Hagia Sophia
Built by (Eastern Roman) Emperor Justinian in 537 AD on site of Byzantium’s former acropolis
Largest church in the world at that time, and remained so for 1,000 years
Construction of large, flat dome was unprecedented
Sultan Fetih Mehmet declared it a mosque in 1453 AD
All subsequent Ottoman Sultans ascended the throne in this building

15. Hagia Sophia (Haya Sofya)
Hybrid of old and new
Respect for and preservation of pre-Ottoman heritage
Church  Mosque
Existing iconography covered over, not destroyed
International symbol of Byzantium becomes symbol of Sultan’s power

16. Hagia Sophia

17. Hagia Sophia

18. Hagia Sophia

19. The Golden Age

20. The Golden Age
In the 16th century, the Ottoman Empire was a respected and leading European power. WHY?
Territorial conquest and military might
Strategic location on land and sea trade routes
Religious tolerance
Ie, invited settlement of exiled Iberian Jews – Spain’s loss became Ottoman gain
Cultural riches
Arab (N Africa/ Iraq/ Gulf), Persian, Jewish, Byzantine, Venetian, Slavic exchanges
Promotion of science, art, legal, social, charitable institutions

21. Suleiman I (reigned 1520-1566) “Suleiman the Magnificent” in Europe
“Suleiman the Lawgiver” to the Ottomans

22. THE MAGNIFICENT CENTURY

23. Sultan Suleiman
Hürrem Sultan
Mahidevran Sultan
Nebahat Çehre

25. OTTOMAN ART
Miniature painting
Carpets
Pottery
Tiles
Architecture

26. OTTOMAN ART

27. OTTOMAN ART

28. OTTOMAN ART

29. Mimar Sinan or Sinan the Architect (b. 1490 – d.1588 )
Son of stonemason
Technical training in military engineering- Istanbul
Became a successful Janissary commander
Appointed chief royal architect at age 50 (remained so for nearly 50 years!)
Over 300 works

30. Suleimaniye Mosque in Istanbul

31. (Suleimaniye Mosque)
By Photo: Myrabella / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0,

32. Selimiye Mosque in Edirne

33. Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem
Built CE, Restored by Mimar Sinan 900 years later

34. Evliya Çelebi, Author/ Chronicler (b. 1611—d. 1682)
Family from Kutahya
Considered an “Ottoman Turk” and an Istanbulu
Trained by the ulema of the Ottoman Court
A hafiz (studied the Quran and could recite by memory)
Joined Sultan, governors, Janissaries on military campaigns
Traveled the Empire over 40 years

35. 400th birthday in 2011 – UNESCO’s Man of the Year

36. The Seyahatname 10-volume collection
Çelebi’s travel writings from Ottoman lands:
Istanbul and surrounding areas (1630)
Anatolia, the Caucasus, Azerbaijan, Crete (1640)
Syria, Palestine, Armenia, Rumelia/ European Balkans (1648)
Eastern Anatolia, Iraq, and Iran (1655)
Russia and the Balkans (1656)
Military Campaigns in Hungary (1663/64)
Austria, the Crimea, and the Caucasus for the 2nd time (1664)
Greece and then the Crimea and Rumelia for the 2nd time (1667–1670)
The Hajj to Mecca (1671)
Egypt and the Sudan (1672)

38. The Seyahatname
Urban landscapes: Number of mosques and prayer nooks, churches, synagogues, fountains, schools, hospitals, soup kitchens, hamams (bathhouses), houses (and what type of houses), number of inhabitants, salaried administrators, judges
Vakıfs: endowments from Sultans, governors, military commanders, merchants and wealthy families supporting social and cultural institutions
Countryside: Great love of nature, animals apparent
Dreamscapes and imaginary landscapes: Retelling of dreams, legends, religious stories from the Quran and hadith

40. Imperial Decline (Post-1687?)
Increased conservativism,
Ineffective, de-centralized Imperial rule; unchecked corruption; rebellious governors
Rising importance of ethnic nationalism, identity; Increased emphasis on “difference” (ie Muslim and non-Muslim hamams, rules of dress- styles and colors worn)

41. Imperial Decline (Post-1687?)
Rising economic and political importance of other European powers
New trade routes
Global exploration and colonization
Profitability of slave trade, extraction economies

42. Resources Turkish Cultural Foundation (TCF) Mütheşem Yüzyıl TV series
Ottoman culture and society, “Lifestyle”
Architecture, Fine arts, Traditional arts, Ceramics, Textiles, Carpets, Culinary arts, Music, Performing arts, Literature, Philosophy, Military, Nature
Mütheşem Yüzyıl TV series
YouTube: search for “Magnificent Century Episode 1 (2,3…) – English Subtitles”
Websites/ blogs
Evliya Çelebi
Culture Routes Society (cultureroutesinturkey.com)
Online exhibition on Euro-Ottoman exchange (thebookoftravels.org)