Ottoman Encounters
Subscribe
Sign in
Home
Notes
Archive
About
From “riff-raff” to legitimation: How public opinion became a political force in the late Ottoman Empire
Drawing on Murat Siviloglu's work, this article explores how public opinion emerged in the late Ottoman Empire and how it became a key source of…
21 hrs ago
•
Doga Ozturk
9
9
Book Recommendation Round-up – No.7
Explore three key books on radical political movements, urban transformation, and power structures in the Ottoman Empire.
Jan 9
•
Doga Ozturk
7
1
What does a seventeenth-century mosque in Istanbul reveal if we look more closely?
From imperial women and urban transformation to Mehmed IV’s reputation, the New Mosque tells us how power was written into Istanbul’s landscape.
Jan 2
•
Doga Ozturk
33
8
8
Most Popular
View all
“Why did the Ottoman Empire Decline?”
Sep 1, 2024
•
Doga Ozturk
204
42
32
Want to learn about Ottoman history?
Feb 9, 2025
•
Doga Ozturk
132
20
32
The Emergence of the "Middle East”
May 22, 2025
•
Doga Ozturk
80
5
22
I’m creating a course on Ottoman history. Want to learn with me?
May 29, 2025
•
Doga Ozturk
79
74
20
Five Books That Changed the Way We Think About Ottoman History
Jul 20, 2025
•
Doga Ozturk
65
16
23
Sex, Power, and Politics: The Real Story Behind the Ottoman Imperial Harem
Sep 22, 2024
•
Doga Ozturk
51
19
14
Recent posts
View all
Life after the harem: What happened to Ottoman palace women once they left the court?
Drawing on Betül İpşirli Argıt’s book, this essay traces the lives of Ottoman palace women beyond the court.
Dec 27, 2025
•
Doga Ozturk
37
9
8
Book Recommendation Round-up – No.6
This edition highlights books on Napoleon’s invasion of Egypt, life after the Ottoman harem, and how a civil war in Crete mobilized an empire.
Dec 19, 2025
•
Doga Ozturk
15
6
2
Why the Ottomans succeeded where others failed
In this piece, I explore how ideology, pragmatism, and institutional innovation turned a small frontier principality into a durable state, long before…
Dec 12, 2025
•
Doga Ozturk
48
8
12
Book Recommendation Round-up – No.5
Discover three essential works on late Ottoman Egypt, the origins of the “Muslim world,” and two constitutional revolutions that reshaped the Middle…
Dec 5, 2025
•
Doga Ozturk
17
4
3
Book Recommendation Round-up – No.4
Hello again from Ottoman Encounters!
Nov 21, 2025
•
Doga Ozturk
23
2
5
More Than Just Parties and Flowers: The Real Story of the Ottoman Tulip Age
A short introduction to the Tulip Age, the Ottomans’ most misunderstood decade. From Europe-inspired fashions to the first Ottoman printing press and…
Nov 14, 2025
•
Doga Ozturk
27
12
8
Book Recommendation Round-up – No.3
Explore three key books on Ottoman history — from Aksan’s Empire Besieged to Minawi’s Losing Istanbul and Ayalon’s study of disaster and reform.
Nov 7, 2025
•
Doga Ozturk
16
3
Informal Networks as Tools of Ottoman Governance
How did the Ottomans integrate Syria and Egypt after conquest? A review of Empire of Salons shows how salons, scholars, and social networks helped bind…
Oct 31, 2025
•
Doga Ozturk
33
15
15
See all
This site requires JavaScript to run correctly. Please
turn on JavaScript
or unblock scripts
