Çiftçi, Cafer (ed.). Osman Gazi ve Bursa Sempozyumu: "Payitaht Bursa'nin Kültürel ve Ekonomik İlişkileri"; Bildiri Kitabı; (04-05 Nisan 2005, Bursa). Bursa: Osmangazi Belediyesi, 2005, 272pp.
ABSTRACT
Osman Gazi and Bursa Symposium: Proceedings on the Cultural and Economic Relations of Bursa during the Time it was the Capital of the Ottoman Empire
Osman Gazi ve Bursa Sempozyumu: "Payitaht Bursa'nin Kültürel Ve Ekonomik İlişkileri"; Bildiri Kitabı
This publication, edited by Cafer Çiftçi, comprises the papers given at the 2005 symposium, as part of the series of symposia jointly organised by the municipal government of Bursa Osman Gazi and Uludağ University. Bursa was the capital of the Ottoman Empire during its foundation stage, and the papers adopt a multifaceted approach to investigate the nature of Bursa’s economic and cultural network with its environs (including Iznik and Mudanya) from the fourteenth century onwards.
The first part looks at the roles played by dervishes and nomads during the urbanisation process of the Ottomans, who had first settled in the region when it was a border principality. This section also explores the groups’ relations with the existing cultural entities.
The papers underline the dynamism of the urbanisation process, focusing especially on the effects of the systematic movements of individuals and groups, emphasising the importance of a shared culture in enabling this process.
The papers focusing on the fourteenth century mostly depend on secondary source material and offer a synthesis on Bursa in this period. The article written by Mustafa Kara stands out in its use of unpublished primary source material to map out the circulation of dervishes, their students and their works, between Bukhara, Bombay and Bursa.
The second part explores the nature of economic ties between the city of Bursa and the settlements around it, by looking at their evolution in the pre-Ottoman period and reconstructing the antique roads that passed through Byzantine Prusa (old name of Bursa). The approach adopted here differs from the usual Turkish economic and political historiography which emphasises the state mechanisms, and relies on archival and official histories. Here the aim is to evaluate production, distribution and consumption relationships through an analysis of their effects on urban life and contributions to urban identity. The relationship of the city with its immediate environs is explored together with links to foreign trade, and the concept of the city-dweller is analysed within a multicultural, multifaceted, and changing context.
Perhaps the most interesting part is that which explores the artistic, cultural and intellectual life during the foundation and development stages of Bursa. The articles in this section look at the creation process of Bursa’s urban identity and explore the ways in which it has been shaped by art, literature, education and medicine. The authors propose a re-evaluation of the interaction between sciences and arts, as well as a questioning of modern concepts such as the boundaries between language, geography and ethnic differences. The articles by Zeren Tanındı, Selim Kuru and Hatice Şahin bring together examples from primary source material that shed light on the reflective and permeable realms of images, language and science in cosmopolitan Bursa.
Zeynep Oğuz
Translated by Aysu Dinçer
