Architecture and Interiors of the Harems in Eighteenth-Century Istanbul (Elements in the History of Constantinople)

Turker, Deniz/ Uğurlu, A. Hilal

Cambridge University Press（2026/05発売）

• 製本 Paperback:紙装版/ペーパーバック版／ページ数 75 p.
• 言語 ENG
• 商品コード 9781009715430

Full Description

The two connected Elements—Architecture and Interiors of the Harems in Eighteenth-Century Istanbul and Letters and Gifts in the Harems of Eighteenth-Century Istanbul—center on the lives of royal women during the reign of Selim III. Figures such as Mihrişah Valide Sultan, Sineperver Kadınefendi, and the sultan's sisters shaped Istanbul's urban and social landscape through philanthropy, political engagement, and leisure practices. Focusing on their sub-courts, we argue that these women were key constituents of Selim III's reform initiatives, the nizam-ı cedid. Together, the Elements trace how royal women made their presence visible, incorporating their courts into foreign diplomatic visitation circuits within an expanded Bosphorus network. They also examine the women's prolific correspondence with their kethüdas (stewards). These letters illuminate their material worlds, rivalries, and anxieties, and, most importantly, reveal their central role in shaping courtly decorum and the political culture of reform.

Contents

Introduction; 1. A new sultan and a new valide in the imperial palace's harem; 2. The summer section of the imperial palace, Topkapısı Sahilsarayı; 3. Eyüp and the golden horn; 4. The bosphorus and its hilltops; Appendix; Bibliography.