Forms of Belonging: Armenian Architects, Vernacular Style and Architectural Placemaking in the Ottoman East

(Hardback)

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Contrary to the historical record, which views the architecture of the eastern Ottoman cities as unchanging remnants of a medieval and proto-Turkish golden age, this richly illustrated book highlights the wide-ranging transformations that Mardin, Diyarbakir, Urfa, Antep, Bitlis and Erzurum, saw at the hands of Armenian architects of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

Case studies reflect the agency of Armenian architects in constructing these buildings- whether churches, mansions, government offices, schools, or commercial structures. Each chapter looks to one of these cities and the participation of Armenians in shaping these places, not just through architecture but through city institutions, patronage, and benevolence. It argues that Armenians used the urban environment, and a uniquely Armenian reinvention of vernacular architecture, which reflected their religious, educational, intellectual, and political networks, to partake in the revival of these cities in an era marked by reforms to the Ottoman polity, political culture, and local governance. This was a show of popular belonging, and pride in local traditions, but it was also, merged with symbols of Ottoman authority, a reflection of the formation of Ottoman local elites, which included these Armenians - thus representing complex localization and Ottomanization processes at work. This book shows that there was not one Armenian culture or identity, but many competing visions across Ottoman cities.

Reviews

An admirable and innovative study that opens new perspective on the history of Ottoman architecture and its culture. By focusing on the contribution of Armenians to the religious as well as secular architecture of East Anatolia, a region with multiple ethnises and faiths and remote from the centre of power, the book reveals multi-layered aspects of artistic and cultural interaction. It is a pioneer work and as, the author herself says, this book is just the beginning of a field that is ripe for further investigations. * Doris Behrens-Abouseif, Professor, SOAS, UK *
This book makes a bold and timely case for recognizing Armenian architecture as central to the remaking of the Ottoman East. Rather than merely documenting lost heritage, it argues that distinctive Armenian architectural forms emerged from the lived experiences of Armenians in cities like Mardin, Antep, Urfa, Diyarbakir, Bitlis, and Erzurum. Drawing on architectural analysis, archival sources, and memory books, it reveals how Armenians navigated belonging and visibility within a changing imperial landscape. This is a landmark contribution to the urban history of the Islamic world and a deeply significant intervention in understanding Armenian presence, creativity, and resilience amid marginalization and erasure in the Ottoman empire. * Mohammad Gharipour, Professor, University of Maryland, USA *

Author Bio

Alyson Wharton-Durgaryan, is Senior Lecturer at Lincoln School of Humanities and Heritage, University of Lincoln, UK. She was previously Assistant Professor in the Department of Art History at Mardin Artuklu University, Turkey. She is the author of The Architects of Ottoman Constantinople (2015, I.B.Tauris).