The Nature of the Ottoman City

Water and Urban Space in Sofia, 1380s-1910s
Erscheinungsjahr 2025
ISBN: 978-1-009-55885-3
Verlag: Cambridge University Press

Buch, Englisch, 224 Seiten

Reihe: Studies in Environment and History

In this innovative interdisciplinary work, Stefan Peychev problematizes the dominant narrative of decline and stagnation in Ottoman Sofia. Drawing on a range of sources and perspectives, including environmental and urban history, archaeology and anthropology, he examines the creation and experience of urban space and place. By employing a longue durée framework and considering empire-wide developments, this work challenges the epistemological boundaries that have traditionally separated Ottoman from post-Ottoman space and the Middle East from Southeast Europe. Peychev argues instead for an integrated understanding of Sofia's water infrastructure, in which Ottoman ideas of the built environment fused with local cultural and technological traditions to create an efficient and long-lasting system.

Autoren/Hrsg.

Peychev, Stefan

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Introduction; 1. Water Supply and the Making of Early Modern Ottoman Sofia; 2. Thermal Springs, Public Baths, and Ottoman Sofia's Culture of Water; 3. Coping with Disaster: Sofia's Long Nineteenth Century; Epilogue; Bibliography; Index.

Über Autor(innen)

Peychev, Stefan
Stefan Peychev is a historian of the Ottoman Empire, its successor states, and the wider world, with research and teaching interests in environmental history, urban history, travel and cultural encounter, history of science, and global history.