This is the most comprehensive and wide-ranging survey of Ottoman Architecture ever produced. It extends to over 700 pages and is illustrated with over 1000 fabulous illustrations, plans of buildings, maps and drawings. The author is a leading authority on the subject having taught throughout the United States, in Paris and in Istanbul. Whilst this work will become an invaluable reference tool to students, its appeal will also be broadened due to the high quality of its photographs, many of which were commissioned for the publication. In particular the reader will be impressed by the the superb interiors of buildings often decorated by stunning Iznik tiles. Ottoman Architecture developed in parallel with the political structure of the Ottoman Empire. Located at the intersection of Asia and Europe it was influenced by the numerous competing traditions of Islam, China, the Mediterranean and Byzantine worlds. Building on its early development particularly in Bursa and Edirne at the end of the 14th Century, the Ottoman world reached its high point during the so called Classical period 1437-1703 notably under the Sultans Suleyman 1st and Selim 2nd. The finest architectural achievements were undoubtedly the works of the court architect Sinan 1489-1588. It is these works that form the core of this spectacular book. This book, unlike any other, also seeks to survey the extensive building works of the Ottomans throughout their Empire which extend to Damascus, Cairo and as far as the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina. AUTHOR: Professor Kuban has held various academic positions in the USA, Italy and Turkey. He was a founding member of the Turkish Commission of the International Council of Monuments and Sites. He holds many awards and has written many works of reference. He has also written numerous articles and research publications. SELLING POINTS Comprehensive survey of the huge wealth of Ottoman architecture Extensive and highly illustrated text by a leading authority Wide appeal for the serious student as well as the arm chair traveller ILLUSTRATIONS 1000 colour illustrations

This text is focused on the history of the extant buildings in the Republic of Turkey. The book begins with a brief history of the Ottoman Empire and develops by outlining the mains features of Ottoman architecture and discusses the biography of the great Ottoman architect Sinan.

This vibrantly illustrated volume chronicles nearly a millennium of Islamic art and architecture in Turkey. Illustrated with some 250 attractive and well-chosen color photographs, Turkish Art and Architecture is fascinating reading for anyone with an interest in Turkey, and an essential reference for any student of Islamic art and architecture. The Anatolian peninsula, one of the oldest seats of civilization, has been ruled by a succession of great powers, including the Romans and their successors in the East, the Byzantines. Its Islamic era began in 1071, when the Seljuk Turks, nomads from Central Asia who had already taken control of Persia, defeated the Byzantine army at Manzikert and moved west, creating a new sultanate in Anatolia. The Seljuks were eventually succeeded in this region by the Ottoman Turks, who crossed the Bosphorus to conquer an exhausted Constantinople in 1453, and went on to extend their power far beyond the borders of modern Turkey, establishing an empire that endured until the early twentieth century. Ruling over a land that had always been at the crossroads of east and west, these Islamic dynasties developed a cosmopolitan art and architecture. As art historian Giovanni Curatola demonstrates in this insightful new book, they combined elements of the prestigious Persian style and memories of their nomadic past with local Mediterranean traditions, and also adopted local building materials, such as stone and wood. Curatola introduces us first to the new types of buildings introduced by the Seljuks?like the caravansary and the türbe, or mausoleum?and then to the sophisticated architectural achievements of the Ottomans, which culminated in the great domed mosques constructed by the master builder Mimar Sinan (d. 1588). He also traces the history of the decorative arts in Turkey, which included lavishly ornamented carpets, manuscripts, armor, and ceramics.

The Balyan family were a dynasty of architects, builders and property owners who acted as the official architects to the Ottoman Sultans throughout the 18th and 19th centuries. Originally Armenian, the family is responsible for some of the most famous Ottoman buildings in existence, many of which are regarded as masterpieces of their period – including the Dolmabahçe Palace (built between 1843 and 1856), parts of the Topkap? Palace, the Ç?ra?an Palace and the Ortaköy Mosque. Forging a unique style based around European contemporary architecture but with distinctive Ottoman flourishes, the family is an integral part of Ottoman history. As Alyson Wharton's beautifully illustrated book reveals, the Balyan's own history, of falling in and out of favour with increasingly autocratic Sultans, serves as a record of courtly power in the Ottoman era and is uniquely intertwined with the history of Istanbul itself.

Mid-Century Modernism in Turkey studies the unfolding of modern architecture in Turkey during the 1950s and 1960s. The book brings together scholars who have carried out extensive research on post-WWII modernism in a global context. The authors situate Turkish architectural case studies within an international framework during this period, providing a close reading of how architectural culture responded to ubiquitous post-war ideas and ideals, and how it became intertwined with politics of modernization and urbanization. This book contributes to contemporary scholarship to reconsider post-war architecture, beyond canonical explanations.

Architecture and urban planning have always been used by political regimes to stamp their ideologies upon cities, and this is especially the case in the modern Turkish Republic. By exploring Istanbul's modern architectural and urban history, Murat Gul highlights the dynamics of political and social change in Turkey from the late-Ottoman period until today. Looking beyond pure architectural styles or the physical manifestations of Istanbul's cultural landscape, he offers critical insight into how Turkish attempts to modernise have affected both the city and its population. Charting the diverse forces evident in Istanbul's urban fabric, the book examines late Ottoman reforms, the Turkish Republic's turn westward for inspiration, Cold War alliances and the AK Party's reaffirmation of cultural ties with the Middle East and the Balkans. Telltale signs of these moments - revivalist architecture drawing on Ottoman and Seljuk styles, 1930s Art Deco, post-war International Style buildings and the proliferation of shopping malls, luxurious gated residences and high-rise towers, for example - are analysed and illustrated in extensive detail.Connecting this rich history to present-day Istanbul, whose urban development is characterised anew by intense social stratification, the book will appeal to researchers of Turkey, its architecture and urban planning.