British Academy: The UK's National Academy for the Humanities and Social Sciences
The frontiers of the Ottoman world
Dr Andrew Peacock, Assistant Director, British Institute at Ankara
The study of the Ottoman Empire has strong implications for the formation of the states and nations occupying the former Empire’s geographical location, and contributes directly to the current international interest in Islam and its relationship with the West.
This research has been facilitated by the British Institute at Ankara, in collaboration with the British Institute in Eastern Africa, the British School at Athens, the British School of Archaeology in Iraq, the Council for British Research in the Levant, the Egypt Exploration Society and the Society for Libyan Studies. Research at Akkerman fortress has been funded by the BIAA and the Max von Bercham Foundation.
For further information, visit: www.biaa.ac.uk
Summary
The legacy of the Ottoman Empire and the consequences of its dissolution are felt today in conflicts from Kosovo to the Sudan. Central to understanding the roots of these conflicts, in addition to vital questions regarding relations between the Ottoman state and its neighbours, is the study of the zones of conflict and cooperation between the Ottomans and their neighbours - the Empire’s frontiers, which have hitherto received little scholarly attention.
To address this particular aspect, a major international multi-disciplinary workshop entitled The Frontiers of the Ottoman World took place in February 2007, the initial phase of collaborative BIAA-led research supported by the British Academy. It considered the interactions that moulded the lives of the people of the frontier, the dynamics of Ottoman governance and the impact of its policies on its subject peoples and neighbours.
Work on Akkerman fortress in the Ukraine illustrates the potential of one project to offer new perspectives on these issues. Akkerman was a vital link in the chain of strongholds that protected the Ottoman lands against incursions from the north. Then as now, the province of Akkerman was a contact zone between Moldavians/Romanians, Turks and Slavs, on the crossroads of migratory routes. Marrying the archaeological research with the abundant documentation in the Ottoman archives in Istanbul provides a richer picture of this major outpost of the Empire than can archaeology alone, allowing an unparalleled insight into the nature of life on the Ottoman frontier and its contemporary legacy.
Other contributors
Dr Caroline Finkel