Architecture and Material Politics in the Fifteenth-Century Ottoman Empire (Hardcover) (ISBN-13: 9781316517604)

In this book, Patricia Blessing explores the emergence of Ottoman architecture in the fifteenth century and its connection with broader geographical contexts. Analyzing how transregional exchange shaped building practices, she examines how workers from Anatolia, the Mediterranean, the Balkans, and Iran and Central Asia participated in key construction projects. She also demonstrates how drawn, scalable models on paper served as templates for architectural decorations and supplemented collaborations that involved the mobility of workers. Blessing reveals how the creation of centralized workshops led to the emergence of a clearly defined imperial Ottoman style by 1500, when the flexibility and experimentation of the preceding century was levelled. Her book radically transforms our understanding of Ottoman architecture by exposing the diverse and fluid nature of its formative period. It also provides the reader with an understanding of design, planning, and construction processes of a major empire of the Islamic world.

Author: Patricia Blessing
ISBN-10: 1316517608
ISBN-13: 9781316517604
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Language: English
Published: 08/18/2022
Pages: 296
Format: Hardcover
Weight: 2.30lbs
Size: 11.00h x 8.60w x 0.90d

Review Citation(s):
Choice 06/01/2023