Session 23|The Ottomans
#91-94

#91. Introduction

The Ottoman dynasty reaches back to the 13th century CE to its originator Othman – he headed a segment of the Turkic Oghuz tribe originally from Central Asia. After defeating the Mamluks, this dynasty, which was centered in modern-day Turkey, established an empire throughout the Middle East and southeastern Europe (A. Petersen, Dictionary of Islamic Architecture, London and New York 1996, p. 214) (see Map). Their rule lasted for four hundred years (1516-1917 CE). The readings for this lecture concentrate on the status of Jews and Christians within Ottoman society.

#92. Muslims-Jews-Christians


Jacob Marcus, The Jew in the Medieval World: A Sourcebook, 315-1791, (New York: JPS, 1938), 15-19, online version accessed at: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/jewish/1772-jewsinislam.html
092Download

Question

Return to the Pact of Omar (#71) and compare it to the text above. What are the similarities and differences between the two? In the same way, describe the correspondence and divergence between the above text and Byzantine law concerning Jews (see #66-67).

#93 (Western Wall)

The Western or Wailing Wall in Jerusalem has long been a site for Jewish veneration due to its proximity to the former location of the First and Second Temples. The following documents concern the rights of Jews to modify their area of worship near the wall.


PASSIA, Documents on Jerusalem, Jerusalem © 1996, p. 143. (see www.passia.org)
093. PASSIA, 143Download

Question

Having had the opportunity to examine the nature of Islamic attitudes towards the practice of Judaism and Christianity within various Islamic kingdoms, synthesize your knowledge into a definition about the primary principles behind Islamic legislation concerning these two groups and their practice of faith. Use the above texts to support your conclusions.

#94 (Bruce Alan Masters)

The author of the following chapter on the treatment of non-Muslims within the Ottoman Empire is Bruce Masters, a historian at Wesleyan University. Throughout this work he examines primary sources in order to reconstruct the relationship between Muslims and non-Muslims in this era. Pay close attention to the details contained within these sources.


B. Masters, Christians and Jews in the Ottoman Arab World, Cambridge 2001, pp. 16-40.
094. Masters, 16-40Download

Question

Do you agree or disagree with Masters’ concluding sentence concerning the primary impetus for societal division within an Islamic empire? Make your case using any of the primary sources included in the coursepack from the Pact of Omar onwards.