Customer Reviews

Subjects of the Sultan: Culture and Daily Life in the Ottoman Empire

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While the material detailed in _Subjects of the Sultan_ admittedly has narrow appeal (those with an interest in the social history of the Ottoman Empire are few and far between), it really is an excellent resource and a top-shelf social history.

Initially I was dismayed in reading Faroqhi's introduction in which she writes that the focus of the book primarily is on "the practice and reception of certain arts ... in particular architecture and the decorative arts" as the subtitle "culture and daily life in the Ottoman Empire" was what drew me to the book. And while a good portion of the book does discuss art and architecture, there is much on Ottoman society as well.

The first third of the book discussess Ottoman society, particularly the religious divisons within the empire (not just Christian / Muslim, but especially sunni / shi'ii), and the political and economic divide between reaya (subjects) and askeri (servants of the sultan). Her insights on these divisions within the empire are much more nuanced than I have read in previous books on the subject, giving a richer, fuller understanding of the peoples of this part of the world. The chapter on women in the Ottoman empire was particularly engaging, as Faroqhi discussed a wide variety of issues from legal rights, education and marriage to the economic position of women and their role as patrons of the arts. These sections alone were worth the price of the book.

In spite of the subtitle, the focus primarily is on art and architecture: its function in both an official and social capacity, which was of less interest personally and professionally. Still, this is a veritable gold-mine of detail and information historiographically as well as from a social history standpoint on the peoples of the Ottoman empire.