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The East, the West,

and the Appropriation


of the Past
in Early Ottoman Architecture
Abstract
 As the Ottoman state emerged in the fourteenth
and fifteenth centuries, it encountered the
contemporary, medieval cultures of Western
Europe and Byzantium, as well as the past,
classical cultures of northwest Asia Minor.
 An examination of early Ottoman architecture,
including the construction of new works,
adaptation of existing buildings, and attitudes
expressed toward older monuments, helps to
clarify the nature of the encounter.
 The Ottoman appropriation of the past may be
understood as a part of their symbolic control
of the land and as an attempt to position
themselves within the larger context of world.
Three Points of abstract
 This article is about the architecture of
Ottomans in early years, especially
until the reign of Mehmed II.
 It discusses how Ottomans realized the
construction of new buildings and
adaptations of old ones.
 It claims that the early Ottoman
architecture represents their symbolic
control and their attempt to position
themselves within the larger world
context.

Mehmed the Conqurer’s
Visit to Troy
 In 1463, a decade after the Ottoman
conquest of Constantinople, when
Mehmet the Conqueror was on
expedition to Mitylene (Midilli), he
diverted his army to visit Ilium,
the site of ancient Troy.
 At that time, there was a poor
village on the site.
 But Mehmet the Conqurer wanted
to see "its ruins and the traces of
the ancient city" as well as the
tombs of the heroes such as
Achilles and Ajax and the rest.
 He praised and congratulated them.
What Mehmed II said in
Troy
 Then, according to his biographer
Kritovoulos, He said, that
 "God has reserved for me through so
long a period of years the right to
avenge this city and its inhabitants.
For I have subdued their enemies and
have plundered their cities and have
made them the spoils of the Mysians.
It was the Greeks and Macedonians
and Thessalians and Peloponnesians
who ravaged this place in the past,
and whose descendants have now
through my efforts paid the just
penalty after a long period of years,
 The main question?

WHY MEHMED II VISITED


TROY?
Troy
 In classical antiquity, Asia and the
East were symbolized by Troy.
 It was a city, both factual and
legendary.
 Troy was a great civilization.
 It was located in northwest Turkey,
near the Dardenelles.
 It is famous with the Trojan war.
Trojan War
 The Trojan War always became a metaphor in
times of conflict between the East and the
West.
 The Author of this story was Homer. Homer told
many stories but the Trojan War was one of his
more popular ones.
 The Trojan War was the greatest conflict in the
Greek mythology.
 This war influenced people in literature and arts
for centuries.
 The war was between the Greeks and Trojans in
the city of Troy (Ilium).
 The war lasted for ten years and it has been
traditionally dated from 1194 to 1184 BC.

Romans relations with
Trojans
 The Romans saw themselves as the
descendants of the Trojans.
 Following the Roman conquest of Asia
Minor, they acknowledged Troy as
Rome's mother city;
 The pilgrimage to Troy became an
ideological necessity for traveling
Roman rulers.
 Julius Caesar visited the site, and even it
is claimed that Caesar had moved the
capital there.
Why they remember
Troy?
 Troy became the symbol of the East.
 Historical figures like Mehmed II and
Atatürk remembred Troy and Trojan
war in the times of conflict between
East and West.
 Atatürk said in 1922 that “I took the
avenge of the Trojans.” like Mehmed
II after the conquest of Istanbul.
East and West
 The concept of East and West remains
fundamental to our political,
ideological and cultural framework.
 These categories are linked to
geography only superficially.
 The fundamental difference is
opposing viewpoints on government,
economy, religion, and ethics.

Cultural Overlap
 When Ottoman state established in
the late thirteenth century, it was
the period of cultural overlap.
 They adopted the Greek
administration, and the population
remained largely mixed.
 In the same way, their architecture
was mixed of different cultures.
Mixture
 In the early years, the former nomads were
building, in a manner technically and
stylistically distinct from the Muslim
architecture in other parts of Anatolia.
 Ottoman architecture is the mixture of
Seljuk, Iranian, Byzantine and Islamic
Mamluk architecture.
 Overall, Ottoman architecture can be
described as a synthesis of the
architectural traditions of the
Mediterranean and the Middle East.
 Such a mixture of forms reflect the diverse
background of the Ottomans.
 The heterogeneous architecture became
symbol of early Ottoman culture.
Confusion
 The similarities in late Byzantine and
early Ottoman construction
techniques have led to numerous
confusions.
 Mosques frequently incorporated
elements from ancient and
Byzantine buildings such as
columns.
 For example, a nineteenth-century
photograph introduced Haci Özbek
Camii which was one of the earliest
Integration, Cooperation
and Continuity
 How should we interpret the Byzantine
construction techniques in these
buildings?
 The technical similarities and reuse of
materials might be better viewed as an
expression of integration, rather than
domination.
 The early Ottoman state was based on
cooperation.
 In sum, a new architecture of the new
Ottoman state can be defined as
Church Conversions
 Church conversions are the best
examples of cultural interchange.
 In most instances, the physical
transformation of the building was
minimal.
 Even they did not destruct its figural
decoration.
 A minaret have been added on the
exterior, a mihrab and other necessary
furnishings on the interior.
 This additional structures gave the
building a sort of transitional
appearance.
Why Mehmed II so
interested in Byzantine
tradition
 Mehmed II knew his classical history
long before he arrived in Athens.
 In fact, in addition to his Muslim
instructors, Mehmed II had two
European tutors, one trained in
Greek, the other in Latin.
 He read ancient history and was
familiar with the life of Alexander
the Great.
 His actions and his concept of a world
empire were modeled on those of
Mehmed II and
Machiavelli
 In addition to his cultural interests,
Mehmet II derived much of his political
program from Western Europe.
 Many scholars and historians compared
Mehmed II with Machiavelli.
 The greatest source of Machiavelli's
reputation is, of course, Prince (1532).
The main theme of this short book is
that all means may be resorted to for
the establishment and preservation of
authority
 “-- the end justifies the means –”
Turn back to first
question?
 Why did Mehmed II visit to Troy?
 Troy was more than simply a symbol of conquest.
 It also represented his ancestral home.
 Mehmet II and many others looked to antiquity to legitimize their
positions.
 It was the common literary culture of the Mediterranean elite, both
East and West.
 Ottoman as an Empire composed of hybrid culture.
 Especially, Istanbul was imagined as a cosmopolit city by Mehmed
II.
 Mehmed II’s policy towards the reconstruction of Constantinople
was very different from the other newly conquered cities. As in
the case of other newly acquired cities, Turks and other Muslim
populations from different regions of Anatolia was forced to
immigrate to newly conquest cities in order to provide security
and convert them into Islamic cities.
 In the case of Istanbul, Mehmed II forced Greek and different ethnic
populations to settle in Istanbul as well as Muslim subjects.

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