The Frontiers of the Ottoman World

This is the first major comparative study of the frontiers of the Ottoman Empire, one of the crucial forces that shaped the modern world. The chapters combine archaeological and historical approaches to the further understanding of how this major empire approached the challenge of controlling frontiers as diverse and far-flung as Central and Eastern Europe, Anatolia, Iraq, Arabia and the Sudan. Ranging across the 15th to early 20th centuries, chapters cover frontier fortifications, administration, society and economy and shed light on the Ottomans' interaction with their neighbours, both Muslim and Christian, through warfare, trade and diplomacy. As well as summing up the current state of knowledge, they also point the way to fresh avenues of research. The book gives a particular prominence to the nascent discipline of Ottoman archaeology.