A Social History of Ottoman Istanbul

Using a wealth of contemporary Ottoman sources, this book recreates the social history of Istanbul, a huge, cosmopolitan metropolis and imperial capital of the Ottoman Empire. Seat of the Sultan and an opulent international emporium, Istanbul was also a city of violence shaken regularly by natural disasters and by the turmoil of sultanic politics and violent revolt. Its inhabitants, entertained by imperial festivities and cared for by the great pious foundations which touched every aspect of their lives, also amused themselves in the numerous pleasure gardens and the many public baths of the city. While the book is focused on Istanbul, it presents a broad picture of Ottoman society, how it was structured and how it developed and transformed across four centuries. As such, the book offers an exciting alternative to the more traditional histories of the Ottoman Empire.

Ebru Boyar is Assistant Professor in the International Relations Department at the Middle East Technical University, Ankara. Her previous publications include the Ottomans and Trade (edited with Kate Fleet, 2006) and Ottomans, Turks and the Balkans: Empire Lost, Relations Altered (2007).
Kate Fleet is Director of the Skilliter Centre for Ottoman Studies at Newnham College, University of Cambridge, and Newton Trust Lecturer in Ottoman History in the Faculty of Asian and Middle Eastern Studies at the University of Cambridge. Her previous publications include The Ottoman Capitulations: Text and Context (edited with Maurits van den Boogert, 2003) and The Cambridge History of Turkey, Vol. I. Byzantium to Turkey, 1071-1453 (ed., Cambridge, 2008).