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The Ottoman bedestens in Greece

Article

Last updated: 25 Dec 2024

Subjects

-

Tags

HISTORY OF ART AND ARCHITECTURE
ISLAMIC ART AND ARCHITECTURE

Abstract

This paper focuses on the Ottoman bedestens in Greece, by considering the analysis and interpretation of the related texts in the archives and historic references. Evliyâ Çelebi provides a wealth of data regarding the Ottoman bedestens, along with their functions, administrative system and staff. This information underlines that the bedestens were semi-official buildings and were subject to State control and management, reflecting its commercial and economic policy. This paper discusses the importance of the bedesten as a new architectural creation in the centre of the Ottoman city, and its importance in reorganising and distinguishing the layout of the core of some significant Ottoman cities. As a result, the historic Ottoman cities could be classified into cities including a bedesten and others that didn't. The study shows the relation between the presence of the bedesten in a city and its commercial and economic value considering the city's site. This is obvious for cities located on main commercial roads. Along the Via Egnatia, there are cities which have bedestens in Greece. The Ottoman bedestens found in Greece were accounted for, focusing on the surviving examples. The study concludes that the Ottoman bedesten flourished from architecture and function point of view during the years of Sultan Mehmed II (1451-1481). This study proves that the present-day bedesten in the city of Serres is not the original one described by Evliyâ Çelebi, but it is a later reconstruction. The bedesten of Larissa was also dated in the light of the waqf (vakıf) document of the founder Hacı Ömer Bey, the son of Hacı Turhan to the years before 889 H/ 1484 CE.

DOI

10.21608/shedet.2020.32863.1021

Keywords

Ottoman commercial architecture, Greece, Balkan, Islamic Architecture, Serres, Larissa

Authors

First Name

Ahmed

Last Name

Ameen

MiddleName

-

Affiliation

Islamic Archaeology Dep., Faculty of Archaeology – Fayoum University

Email

ahmed.ameen@fayoum.edu.eg

City

Cairo

Orcid

0000-0002-1898-2781

Volume

7

Article Issue

7

Related Issue

20393

Issue Date

2020-12-01

Receive Date

2020-03-15

Publish Date

2020-12-31

Page Start

115

Page End

144

Print ISSN

2356-8704

Online ISSN

2536-9954

Link

https://shedet.journals.ekb.eg/article_137683.html

Detail API

https://shedet.journals.ekb.eg/service?article_code=137683

Order

8

Type

research articles

Type Code

1,264

Publication Type

Journal

Publication Title

Shedet

Publication Link

https://shedet.journals.ekb.eg/

MainTitle

The Ottoman bedestens in Greece

Details

Type

Article

Created At

22 Jan 2023