The sixth volume of YILLIK: Annual of Istanbul Studies presents four peer-reviewed articles exploring Istanbul's historical, social, and cultural fabric. Günseli Gürel, winner of the Early Career Article Prize, reevaluates Ottoman narratives about Hagia Sophia from the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.
Alaaddin Tok analyzes late Ottoman Istanbul's layered energy infrastructure, focusing on the concurrent use of wood, coal, and petroleum. Oğulcan Avcı and Nurcan Boşdurmaz reassess the history of the Fatih Sultan Mehmed Mosque near Anadoluhisarı, built by Sultan Mehmed II and later demolished during the early Republic, using archival materials to address gaps in the literature. Güzin Yeliz Kahya maps Istanbul’s creative industries and advocates for urban cultural policies that support clusters in both central and peripheral areas.
The Meclis section features the second installment of the Interventions to Istanbul Studies series, edited by Koray Durak, highlighting Istanbul’s Rum (Greek) community. Articles include Christine Philliou’s exploration of Valide Han’s forgotten history, Paul Magdalino’s study of Ilias Makridis’ unpublished memoir, Firuzan Melike Sümertaş’ analysis of the lost Rum Literary Society Syllogos, and Koray Durak’s discussion on Byzantine studies and Istanbul’s Greek-speaking community. Çiğdem Kafescioğlu examines the Rum community's post-conquest state, while Stefanos Yerasimos presents a map of Beyoğlu drawn by a Rum child, offering insights into spatial experiences.
In the Cabinet section, Özge Baykan Calafato analyzes photographs by Namık Görgüç and Selahattin Giz from the Suna and İnan Kıraç Foundation Photography Collection, exploring how photography reshaped representations of modern Turkish citizenship in early Republican Turkey.
The Reviews and Istanbul Bibliography section includes ten book reviews and two exhibition analyses. İpek Türeli reviews Istanbul as Far as the Eye Can See: Views across Five Centuries (Meşher) and On the Spot: Panoramic Gaze on Istanbul, a History (Pera Museum), focusing on the evolution of Istanbul’s panoramic depictions. The volume concludes with the Istanbul Bibliography 2024, compiling the latest research on the city.
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