Overview

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.

Full Product Details

9781009558853

Table of Contents

Reviews

'Overcoming the historiographies of Bulgarian nationalism and Ottoman exceptionalism, this important book offers us an entirely new history of Ottoman Sofia told through its waters. Never again should Ottoman urban histories ignore the environment.' Alan Mikhail, Yale University

Author Information

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.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available