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Architecture and Interiors of the Harems in Eighteenth-Century Istanbul
(Cambridge University Press, 2026) Uğurlu, Ayşe Hilal; Türker, Deniz
This Element centers the architectural and material worlds created by Ottoman imperial women, foregrounding their decisive role in shaping Istanbul at the end of the eighteenth century. Focusing on Mihrişah Valide Sultan and the sultan's sisters and female relatives, it examines how their patronage transformed the imperial harem at Topkapı Palace and extended into a network of waterfront mansions, charitable complexes, and suburban estates. Drawing on poetic inscriptions, archival correspondence, and visual sources, the study reconstructs the collaborative processes linking these women to stewards, builders, and artisans. It argues that their domestic and architectural interventions constituted powerful expressions of authority, visibility, and political agency within the empire.
Letters and Gifts in the Harems of Eighteenth-Century Istanbul
(Cambridge University Press, 2026) Uğurlu, Ayşe Hilal; Türker, Deniz
This Element examines the political, architectural, and social transformations of the Ottoman Empire during the reign of Selim III (1789–1807), foregrounding the central role of imperial women in shaping reform. While Selim's military and administrative initiatives reconfigured Istanbul's urban fabric, his mother, sisters, and female relatives actively advanced these efforts through architectural patronage, diplomacy, and gift exchange. Drawing on archival sources, visual materials, and microhistorical analysis, the Element reconstructs the dynamic networks sustained by these women and their stewards. It challenges assumptions of female invisibility, demonstrating instead their strategic visibility, economic agency, and integral participation in imperial governance and cross-cultural exchange.
Citation - Scopus: 1
From Ceremony To Spectacle: Changing Perception of Hagia Sophia Through the Night of Decree (layla’t-Ul Kadr) Prayer Ceremonies [Book Part]
(Edinburgh University Press, 2024) Uğurlu, A.H.; Uğurlu, A.Hilal
After the Hagia Sophia was converted into an imperial mosque by Ottoman Sultan Mehmed II (r. 1451–81), it became a key venue for imperial religious ceremonies. From the sixteenth century until the 1830s, Ottoman sultans customarily performed the Night of Decree prayers at the Hagia Sophia. Although sultans eventually left this tradition and began attending the Night of Decree prayers at other mosques, such as Nusretiye and later Yıldız Hamidiye Mosques, the Hagia Sophia remained significant for Istanbulites. From the 1880s, the court altered the ceremonial decorum at the Hagia Sophia, issuing passes for foreign embassy staff and guests to observe from the upper galleries, with officials explaining the rituals. This period saw an increase in non-Muslim spectators, from tens to thousands. This paper examines the transformation of a religious ceremony into a spectacle by conceptualizing the Hagia Sophia as a showpiece monument, distinct in function from other imperial mosques. It argues that the Hagia Sophia, historically used as a political tool, continued to serve this purpose in a different way between the 1880s and 1932.

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