History of Istanbul: Ancient to Contemporary

Catalog description

This course examines the multi-layered history of Istanbul, focusing primarily on the built environment. In chronological fashion, the course explores changes and continuities in the urban space in relation to the city's political, social and economic history, from the Byzantine imperial capital to its transformation into an Ottoman city, and from an Ottoman into a modern city in the Late Ottoman and Republican periods. Within the chronological framework, topics addressed will include spaces and institutions of political, commercial and religious significance, neighborhood life, intercommunal relations, civic rituals and habits of sociability. Although the main focus of the course is on Byzantine and Ottoman times when the city served as imperial capital, attention will also be given to the earlier periods of the city as well as to the contemporary megalopolis.KU course # HUMS 114