Innovation and Empire in Turkey, Sultan Selim III and the Modernisation of the Ottoman Navy
Ottoman naval technology underwent a transformation under the rule of Sultan Selim III. New types of sailing warships such as two- and three-decked galleons, frigates and corvettes began to dominate the Ottoman fleet, rendering the galley-type oared ships obsolete. This period saw technological innovations such as the adoption of the systematic copper sheathing of the hulls and bottoms of Ottoman warships from 1792-93 onwards and the construction of the first dry dock in the Golden Horn.
Despite the fact that its capital city and over one third of its territory was within the continent of Europe, the Ottoman Empire has consistently been regarded as a place apart, inextricably divided from the West by differences of culture and religion. A perception of its militarism, its barbarism, its tyranny, the sexual appetites of its rulers and its pervasive exoticism has led historians to measure the Ottoman world against a western standard and find it lacking.
Once at the center of one of the world's most ancient civilizations, Syria has seen its share of turmoil. Occupied by many empires throughout its history, Syria became part of the vast Ottoman Empire in 1516. Following the breakup of the Ottoman Empire during World War I, Syria was put under French mandate by the League of Nations.
Rick Steves’ Istanbul is a “tour guide in your pocket” to one of the world’s grandest cities. Walking in the footsteps of Byzantine emperors and Ottoman sultans, you’ll explore the city where Europe meets Asia.
This book contributes to the body of postcolonial scholarship that explores the growth of imperial culture in the Romantic and early Victorian periods by focusing on the literary uses of the figure of the Turk and the Ottoman Empire. Filiz Turham analyzes Turkish Tales, novels, and travelogues from c. 1789-1846 to expose the three primary ways in which the Ottoman Other served as a strong counterimage of empire for both liberal and conservative writers.
