female patronage and the architectural legacy of Gülnus Sultan
- Categories
- Book/Boek
- Creator
- Özgüles, Muzaffer
- Publish Year
- 2017
- Shelfmark
- NO 54 2017 - B
- Thesaurus
- architectuur, gebouwde omgeving, vorstenhuizen, dagelijks leven, religie, Turkije, 18e eeuw, biografische gegevens
- Description
- At the beginning of the 18th Century, the Ottoman Empire remained the most powerful of Middle Eastern Empires. One often overlooked aspect was the role of powerful women, often the head of the harem, or wives or mothers of Sultans. These educated patrons left a great array of buildings across the Ottoman lands: powerful palaces and mausoleums, but also essential works for ordinary citizens, such as bridges and waterworks. Gulnus Sultan for example, the head of the imperial harem under Mehmed IV and mother to his sons, was often pictured on horseback, and travelled widely across the Middle East commissioning architects and craftsmen as she went. Her buildings were personal projects designed to showcase Ottoman power and they were built from Constantinople to Mecca, from modern-day Ukraine to Algeria.