Research Article

Touring Europe, Envisioning Homeland: Istanbul in Two Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Travelogues

Volume: 3 December 30, 2021
TR EN

Touring Europe, Envisioning Homeland: Istanbul in Two Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Travelogues

Abstract

European travel accounts of Ottoman lands as well as the commonly succinct reports of Ottoman diplomatic retinues on their visits to European cities have received sustained attention in urban and architectural histories. Similarly, much has been written about the diligent figures who wrote about their westward journeys such as Evliya Çelebi, Yirmisekiz Mehmed Çelebi, Rifa’a al-Tahtawi, Naser al-Din Shah Qajar, to name but a few. Yet, the Ottoman travel accounts written in the second half of the nineteenth century still provide untapped and valuable insight into the transformative Ottoman efforts, conditions, and ideas in the wake of the Tanzimat. This article concerns two Ottoman travelogues, Yolculuk Kitabı (The Book of Journey) by Hayrullah Efendi (1817–1866) and Seyahat Hatıraları (Travel Memories) by Dr. Şerafeddin Mağmumi (1860–1931), placing emphasis on travelers’ reflections of Istanbul during their travels across Europe. I argue that the Ottoman capital had a substantial impact on how travelers toured Europe and wrote about European cities alongside a broader framework encompassing how late Ottoman intellectuals discursively and materially conceptualized modernization. In particular, this article focuses on public parks and architectural heritage, which occupy a significant place in the travelogues, serving as two fundamental aspects of modern urban culture.

Keywords

Thanks

I would like to express my gratitude to Ümit Fırat Açıkgöz, Özüm İtez, and two anonymous reviewers for their contribu- tions to this article. I am particularly thankful to K. Mehmet Kentel for his insightful suggestions during the publication process.

References

  1. Ahmed İhsan. Avrupa’da Ne Gördüm. Istanbul: Alem Matbaası, 1307 [1891].
  2. Ahmed İhsan. Avrupa’da Ne Gördüm - Tuna’da Bir Hafta. Translated by Alain Servantie, Fahriye Gündoğdu, Istanbul: Türk Tarih Vakfı Yayınları, 2007.
  3. Ahmed Midhat. Avrupa’da bir Cevelan. Istanbul: Tercüman-ı Hakikat, 1307 [1890].
  4. Ahmed Mithat Efendi. Avrupa’da bir Cevelan. Translated by in N. Arzı Pala, Istanbul: Dergâh Yay., 2015.
  5. Ahmed Midhat. Sayyadane Bir Cevelan - İzmit Körfezi’nde Bir Mesire-i Saydiyeyi Hakîdir. Translated by Ismail Alper Kumsar, Istanbul: Dergâh Yay., 2017.
  6. Anonymous. Seyahatname-i Londra. Istanbul, Ceride-i Havadis Matbaası, 1267 [1851].
  7. Anonymous. Seyahatname-i Londra Tanzimat Bürokratonın Modern Sanayi Toplumuna Bakışı. Translated by Fikret Turan, Istanbul: Tarih Vakfı Yurt Yayınları, 2009.
  8. Ebuzziya Tevfik. “Ruzname-i Hayatımdan Ba’zı Sahaif” Mecmua-i Ebüzziya, 1317 [1900].

Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

-

Journal Section

Research Article

Publication Date

December 30, 2021

Submission Date

June 16, 2021

Acceptance Date

August 2, 2021

Published in Issue

Year 2021 Volume: 3

APA
Horuz, S. (2021). Touring Europe, Envisioning Homeland: Istanbul in Two Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Travelogues. YILLIK: Annual of Istanbul Studies, 3, 69-91. https://doi.org/10.53979/yillik.2021.4
AMA
1.Horuz S. Touring Europe, Envisioning Homeland: Istanbul in Two Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Travelogues. YILLIK. 2021;3:69-91. doi:10.53979/yillik.2021.4
Chicago
Horuz, Semra. 2021. “Touring Europe, Envisioning Homeland: Istanbul in Two Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Travelogues”. YILLIK: Annual of Istanbul Studies 3 (December): 69-91. https://doi.org/10.53979/yillik.2021.4.
EndNote
Horuz S (December 1, 2021) Touring Europe, Envisioning Homeland: Istanbul in Two Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Travelogues. YILLIK: Annual of Istanbul Studies 3 69–91.
IEEE
[1]S. Horuz, “Touring Europe, Envisioning Homeland: Istanbul in Two Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Travelogues”, YILLIK, vol. 3, pp. 69–91, Dec. 2021, doi: 10.53979/yillik.2021.4.
ISNAD
Horuz, Semra. “Touring Europe, Envisioning Homeland: Istanbul in Two Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Travelogues”. YILLIK: Annual of Istanbul Studies 3 (December 1, 2021): 69-91. https://doi.org/10.53979/yillik.2021.4.
JAMA
1.Horuz S. Touring Europe, Envisioning Homeland: Istanbul in Two Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Travelogues. YILLIK. 2021;3:69–91.
MLA
Horuz, Semra. “Touring Europe, Envisioning Homeland: Istanbul in Two Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Travelogues”. YILLIK: Annual of Istanbul Studies, vol. 3, Dec. 2021, pp. 69-91, doi:10.53979/yillik.2021.4.
Vancouver
1.Semra Horuz. Touring Europe, Envisioning Homeland: Istanbul in Two Nineteenth-Century Ottoman Travelogues. YILLIK. 2021 Dec. 1;3:69-91. doi:10.53979/yillik.2021.4