Call for Papers by Ines Aščerić-Todd
Travellers in Ottoman Lands: Places Forgotten, Places Remembered, Istanbul 9-12 April 2025
There is still time to join us for this three-day International Seminar held in Sarajevo, Bosnia ... more There is still time to join us for this three-day International Seminar held in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, 24-26 August 2022! The programme has now been finalised and includes over 40 presentations by experts from many different parts of the world and ranging from historians, to art historians, literature specialists, journalists, and language experts.
One of our Keynote speakers is the bestselling and award-winning author Jason Goodwin, whose detective stories set in the Ottoman Empire have have been translated into more than 40 languages. The event will comprise a book exhibition and, apart from travel studies-related Archaeopress and ASTENE publications, all of Jason's books will be available to purchase at a discounted rate. There will of course be opportunity for book signing!
The programme also includes screenings of two films by Turkish filmmaker Didem Pekün: Araf (2018) and Disturbed Earth (2021) in the evening of the 24 August. In 2018 Araf was nominated for the Best Documentary award at the Sarajevo Film Festival and for the Best Feature for the Turkish Film Critics Association (SIYAD) Awards.
Please make sure you submit your paper proposals by the deadline of 30 April 2022.
Call for Papers and Registration are now open for the international 3-day seminar 'Travellers In ... more Call for Papers and Registration are now open for the international 3-day seminar 'Travellers In Ottoman Lands: The Balkans, Anatolia and Beyond', organised by ASTENE (the Association for the Study of Travel in Egypt and the Near East) and the Faculty of Islamic Sciences Sarajevo.
Held in the unique setting of the Faculty of Islamic Sciences in the heart of Sarajevo's old town, the event also offers an opportunity to visit the historic city of Mostar with its iconic Stari Most.
Please submit your paper proposals to: ottomanlandsastene@gmail.com by 30 April 2022 the latest. For further details, including confirmed Keynote Speakers, topics, and registration information, please see the updated CfP here or go to:
https://www.astene.org.uk/current-events/travellers-in-ottoman-lands
Books by Ines Aščerić-Todd
Istanbul: Ketebe, 2018
Kitapta Bosna’nın 15.-16. yüzyıllarda tarikatların ve dervişlerin etkisiyle nasıl İslamlaştığı an... more Kitapta Bosna’nın 15.-16. yüzyıllarda tarikatların ve dervişlerin etkisiyle nasıl İslamlaştığı anlatılıyor. Fütüvvet, Ahi geleneği ve tarikatların iç içeliği toplumun Müslümanlaşmasına yardımcı unsur olarak öne sürülüyor. Kitap içindeki görseller genel olarak Bosna’daki tekke ve türbeler ile alakalı. Halil İnalcık ve Suraiya Faroqhi tarafından editörlüğü yapılan Osmanlı İmparatorluğu ve Mirası: Siyaset, Toplum ve İktisat dizisinden çıkan bu kitap, tasavvuf geleneğinin ve tarikatların Bosna’da bir Müslüman toplumunun oluşmasına nasıl etki ettiğini görmek isteyen araştırmacıların ve konuya ilgi duyan herkesin başvuru kitabı niteliğinde.
Oxford: Archaeopress, 2018
This splendidly illustrated book focuses on the botanical legacy of many parts of the former Otto... more This splendidly illustrated book focuses on the botanical legacy of many parts of the former Ottoman Empire -- including present-day Turkey, the Levant, Egypt, the Balkans, and the Arabian Peninsula -- as seen and described by travellers both from within and from outside the region. The papers cover a wide variety of subjects, including Ottoman garden design and architecture, the flora of the region, especially bulbs and their cultural significance, literary, pictorial and photographic depictions of the botany and horticulture of the Ottoman lands, floral and related motifs in Ottoman art, culinary and medicinal aspects of the botanical heritage, and efforts related to conservation.
Leiden & Boston: Brill, The Ottoman Empire and its Heritage; vol. 58, Jan 30, 2015
In Dervishes and Islam in Bosnia, Ines Aščerić-Todd explores the involvement of Sufi orders in th... more In Dervishes and Islam in Bosnia, Ines Aščerić-Todd explores the involvement of Sufi orders in the formation of Muslim society in the first two centuries of Ottoman rule in Bosnia (15th - 16th centuries C.E.). Using a wide range of primary sources, Aščerić-Todd shows that Sufi traditions and the activities of dervish orders were at the heart of the religious, cultural, socio-economic and political dynamics in Bosnia in the period which witnessed the emergence of Bosnian Muslim society and the most intensive phase of conversions of the Bosnian population to Islam. In the process, she also challenges some of the established views regarding Ottoman guilds and the subject of futuwwa (Sufi code of honour).
Book Chapters by Ines Aščerić-Todd
Travellers in Ottoman Lands: The Botanical Legacy, I. Aščerić-Todd, S. Knees, J. Starkey, & P. Starkey (eds.), Oxford: Archaeopress, 2018
Spanning more than six centuries and stretching across three continents, the Ottoman Empire chang... more Spanning more than six centuries and stretching across three continents, the Ottoman Empire changed the political, economic, religious, architectural, and cultural landscape of many of the modern countries of the Middle East and south-eastern Europe. Yet the Ottoman Empire is most readily associated with its imperial capital Istanbul and the grandeur of its royal palace, the Topkapı Sarayı, or its majestic mosques such as Aya Sofya and the Süleymaniye, while the rest of the Empire’s vast territory and heritage is easily overlooked or forgotten. This chapter attempts to give a short overview of the history of the Ottoman Empire, from its foundations in the early fourteenth century, through its territorial expansion and ever-fluctuating borders, to its fall at the start of the twentieth century, and to provide a brief introduction to its legacy, highlighting some of the less well-known or overlooked aspects of it, be they political, religious, or cultural in nature.
Javanmardi: The Ethics and Practice of Persianate Perfection. Ridgeon, L. (ed.), 2018
This article provides an overview of the fotovvat tradition in Bosnia, developed following the co... more This article provides an overview of the fotovvat tradition in Bosnia, developed following the country’s conquest by the Ottomans in the 15th century and its subsequent incorporation into the Ottoman domain as the Western-most European province of the Ottoman Empire. I assess the extent to which the Bosnian fotovvat tradition related to and preserved the characteristics of its predecessors from the earlier periods of Islamic history, both the ‘classical’ variety of fotovvat from the 11th-13th centuries – as most significantly elaborated and defined in relation to Sufism first by Mohammad ebn al-Hosayn al-Solami (d. 1021) and later by Abu Hafs ʿOmar al-Sohravardi (d. 1234) – and the later manifestations of fotovvat in the form of the Anatolian akhi brotherhoods from the 14th-15th centuries.
Papers by Ines Aščerić-Todd
Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations
ASTENE Bulletin 84 Spring, 2021
Paper presented at the Thirteenth Biennial ASTENE Conference - University of York and the Nationa... more Paper presented at the Thirteenth Biennial ASTENE Conference - University of York and the National Railway Museum, York, United Kingdom, July 2019
Isa-Beg Ishaković: Zbornik radova sa Međunarodne naučne konferencije "Isa-beg Ishaković" održane 22.02.2019. u Sarajevu, 2019
Ovaj članak razmatra ulogu sufijskih tekija u formaciji i kasnijem urbanom razvoju bosanskih grad... more Ovaj članak razmatra ulogu sufijskih tekija u formaciji i kasnijem urbanom razvoju bosanskih gradova u ranim stoljećima vladavine Osmanlija na prostoru Bosne. U tom periodu, 15. i 16. stoljeću, sufijske tekije su bile građene u Bosni i od strane nepoznatih sufijskih doseljenika kao i od strane visoko rangiranih Osmanlijskih dužnosnikakoji su bili pokrovitelji sufizma, sa, skromnim, jednosobnim ili dvosobnim kućama pored puta, ili sa složenijim objektima sa sobama za mlade učenike-muride, rituale sufizma i prostore za molitvu, dvorišta i fontane, ove će prostorije u mnogim slučajevima poslužili kao temelj za razvoj novih gradova u Bosni u Srednjeistiočnom stilu. Članak pobliže razmatra nekoliko reprezentativnih tekija koje su bile najranije muslimanske građevine izgrađene na mjestu današnjeg glavnog grada Bosne i Hercegovine, Sarajeva, i nalazile su se u središtu njegovog urbanog razvoja u tipični kozmopolitski osmanski grad.
Christian-Muslim Relations: A Bibliographical History Volume 12. Asia, Africa and the Americas (1700-1800), 2018
This article looks at the role of Sufi lodges in the formation and subsequent urban development o... more This article looks at the role of Sufi lodges in the formation and subsequent urban development of Bosnian towns in the early centuries of Ottoman rule there. In that period, the 15th and the 16th centuries, Sufi lodges were built in Bosnia by both unknown Sufi settlers and high-ranking Ottoman officials who were patrons of Sufism, and, whether modest, one or two-room houses by the road, or more substantial buildings with lodgings for young Sufi apprentices, Sufi rituals and prayer rooms, courtyards and fountains, these lodges in many cases served as foundation stones for the development of new Middle Eastern-style towns in Bosnia. The article examines more closely several representative cases of lodges which were the earliest Muslim edifices built on the site of today’s Bosnian capital of Sarajevo and were at the heart of its urban development into a typical cosmopolitan Ottoman city.
This article compares the contents of a 17th century futuwwa statute of Bosnian tanners with thos... more This article compares the contents of a 17th century futuwwa statute of Bosnian tanners with those of a similar document found in Albania, and assesses what implications these two documents together, and the similarities between them, have on the thesis about the existence of an Akhī-Qādiriyya Sufi order in the Balkans, and wider in the Ottoman Empire.
In the year 1150 (1737–38) the recorder of the Prophet's Meccan biography by Veysi Üskübi, may Go... more In the year 1150 (1737–38) the recorder of the Prophet's Meccan biography by Veysi Üskübi, may God's mercy be upon him, the humble and deficient Defter Kethüdasi Mehmet ibn Mustafa Efendi, was by an imperial order with the army of the Bosnian province at the battle of Özü. On the 14th day of the month of Rebiülevvel of that year, which was a Saturday, the large ammunition store situated in the citadel of the city fortress was hit by a spark of fire and in an instant the citadel was turned upside down, and inside the fortress and on its walls many men, women, and children perished flying into the air and [scattering] on the ground. After this, the next day, on Sunday, all that was left of the army of the aforementioned province, the governor of the abovementioned fortress, his Excellency the Honorable Vizier Yahya Paşa, his household, the people of four Rumeli sancaks, five Janissary regiments from the imperial headquarters, and all of the garrison forces and its inhabitants, together with women and children, by the will of God Almighty all [fell] prisoner to the Muscovite infidel, most of them with their heads uncovered and barefooted…
Originally linked to the military associations of the Middle Ages, the Islamic tradition of futuw... more Originally linked to the military associations of the Middle Ages, the Islamic tradition of futuwwa was with time inherited by artisanship associations. The Anatolian Akhis of the 14th century represent an important link in the evolution of the futuwwa tradition, and it was thanks to them that this tradition survived well into the Ottoman era, this time within the framework of the more centralized, professional trade-guilds. Together with other Ottoman institutions, administrative, military and economic, Ottoman crafts and their trade-guilds appeared in Bosnia soon after the final fall of the country to the Ottomans in 1463. Sources which provide information on the organization and activities of Bosnian guilds also give a picture of their religious character and, related to it, the presence of futuwwa tradition within them. The most important of these sources are those that originate from the guilds themselves, the guild defters and their statutes, which are often called fütüvetnames. A number of documents of this kind found in Bosnia illustrate a strong presence of different futuwwa traditions within Bosnian guilds from their establishment well into the 19th century, while some also provide valuable information on the futuwwa tradition in Ottoman guilds in general.
The primary aim of the article is to draw attention to some of the problems which relate to the h... more The primary aim of the article is to draw attention to some of the problems which relate to the history of Isa-bey’s tekke in Sarajevo and which emerge from the existing literature on the subject. The article points out that for the time being the most reliable source on this important building is Isa-bey’s wakfname from 1462, but that even with regard to the contents of this documents the literature contains a number of inconsistencies, the most important of which relates to the size and layout of Isa-bey’s tekke. After an analysis of the text of Isa-bey’s wakfname, the article concludes that the edifice in question consisted of one building (and not two as implied in some works), which had three wings and which, according to the terms set out in the wakfname, was used both as a tekke and a musafirhane. The article further points out the existence of a number of problems regarding the identification of Isa-bey’s tekke with the Mevlevi tekke in Sarajevo, which is mentioned by a number of sources, and questions the generally accepted thesis – based primarily on Evliya Çelebi’s 17th century description of this Mevlevi tekke – that Isa-bey’s tekke grew into a major Mevlevi centre within the first two centuries of its existence. A more detailed analysis of this and other sources relating to the Mevlevi tekke shows that most of them cannot refer to Isa-bey’s tekke and that, therefore, linking every mention of Mevlevism in Sarajevo to Isa-bey’s tekke is unjustified. In conclusion, while still affirming the importance of Isa-bey’s tekke, the article nevertheless calls for a reconsideration of the existing theses on its history.
Book Reviews by Ines Aščerić-Todd
Die Welt des Islams, 2021
TRT World Research Centre, 2019
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Call for Papers by Ines Aščerić-Todd
One of our Keynote speakers is the bestselling and award-winning author Jason Goodwin, whose detective stories set in the Ottoman Empire have have been translated into more than 40 languages. The event will comprise a book exhibition and, apart from travel studies-related Archaeopress and ASTENE publications, all of Jason's books will be available to purchase at a discounted rate. There will of course be opportunity for book signing!
The programme also includes screenings of two films by Turkish filmmaker Didem Pekün: Araf (2018) and Disturbed Earth (2021) in the evening of the 24 August. In 2018 Araf was nominated for the Best Documentary award at the Sarajevo Film Festival and for the Best Feature for the Turkish Film Critics Association (SIYAD) Awards.
Held in the unique setting of the Faculty of Islamic Sciences in the heart of Sarajevo's old town, the event also offers an opportunity to visit the historic city of Mostar with its iconic Stari Most.
Please submit your paper proposals to: ottomanlandsastene@gmail.com by 30 April 2022 the latest. For further details, including confirmed Keynote Speakers, topics, and registration information, please see the updated CfP here or go to:
https://www.astene.org.uk/current-events/travellers-in-ottoman-lands
Books by Ines Aščerić-Todd
Book Chapters by Ines Aščerić-Todd
Papers by Ines Aščerić-Todd
Book Reviews by Ines Aščerić-Todd
One of our Keynote speakers is the bestselling and award-winning author Jason Goodwin, whose detective stories set in the Ottoman Empire have have been translated into more than 40 languages. The event will comprise a book exhibition and, apart from travel studies-related Archaeopress and ASTENE publications, all of Jason's books will be available to purchase at a discounted rate. There will of course be opportunity for book signing!
The programme also includes screenings of two films by Turkish filmmaker Didem Pekün: Araf (2018) and Disturbed Earth (2021) in the evening of the 24 August. In 2018 Araf was nominated for the Best Documentary award at the Sarajevo Film Festival and for the Best Feature for the Turkish Film Critics Association (SIYAD) Awards.
Held in the unique setting of the Faculty of Islamic Sciences in the heart of Sarajevo's old town, the event also offers an opportunity to visit the historic city of Mostar with its iconic Stari Most.
Please submit your paper proposals to: ottomanlandsastene@gmail.com by 30 April 2022 the latest. For further details, including confirmed Keynote Speakers, topics, and registration information, please see the updated CfP here or go to:
https://www.astene.org.uk/current-events/travellers-in-ottoman-lands
Hamza was accused of heresy, manifested through, among other things, Hurufi, and, therefore, Shia, tendencies, and he had a large following among the Janissaries, who were traditionally Shia-oriented. Moreover, local Hamzevi branches in Bosnia are known to have formed their own local authorities and courts. The present paper examines the contents of the three known extant anti-Hamzevi treatises in the light of these facts, with the aim of assessing how much they can tell us about the motives behind the Hamzevi persecutions, and to what extent they were symptomatic of the depth of Shia religious and Safavid political influence within Ottoman society at the time. Although most of the accusations against Hamza are considered to have been imputed or exaggerated, and, therefore, the contents of these documents have to be treated with those caveats in mind, they still reveal the level of Shia propaganda and influence exerted in the Ottoman Empire at that time, and can thus help with ascertaining the extent to which the Ottoman authorities’ fears of a Shia-inspired rebellion – led by Hamzevis or otherwise – were justified.
It examines a number of examples which show how these edifices, with dual spiritual and humanitarian role, in many cases represented a corner-stone for the development of new Middle Eastern-style towns in Bosnia. Some towns developed on sites of already existing smaller settlements or villages, but many Bosnian towns sprang up around or in the vicinity of a Sufi zawiyah in areas which had previously contained no settlements at all.
In the early centuries of Ottoman rule in Bosnia, the 15th and the 16th centuries, Sufi lodges were built by both unknown Sufi settlers and high-ranking Ottoman officials, who were patrons of Sufism. Whether modest, small, one or two-room houses by the road, or more substantial buildings with lodgings for young Sufi apprentices, dhikr and prayer rooms, courtyards and fountains, the Sufi lodges in all cases served as foundation stones for urban development of an area.
The paper examines more closely several representative cases of zawiyahs which were the earliest edifices built on the site of today’s Bosnian capital of Sarajevo and were at the heart of its urban development.