Daily Life in the Ottoman Empire

Mehrdad Kia is Associate Provost for International Programs and the Director of the Central and Southwest Asia program at The University of Montana, USA.

This book provides a general overview of the daily life in a vast empire which contained numerous ethnic, linguistic, and religious communities.The Ottoman Empire was an Islamic imperial monarchy that existed for over 600 years. At the height of its power in the 16th and 17th centuries, it encompassed three continents and served as the core of global interactions between the east and the west. And while the Empire was defeated after World War I and dissolved in 1920, the far-reaching effects and influences of the Ottoman Empire are still clearly visible in today's world cultures.Daily Life in the Ottoman Empire allows readers to gain critical insight into the pluralistic social and cultural history of an empire that ruled a vast region extending from Budapest in Hungary to Mecca in Arabia. Each chapter presents an in-depth analysis of a particular aspect of daily life in the Ottoman Empire.

An index provides quick reference to the individuals and places mentioned in the text

Note on Pronunciation, Transliteration, and SpellingIntroductionChronology1. Historical Overview2. Sultan and the Palace3. Governing an Empire4. Cities, Towns, and Villages: MerchantsCraftsmen, and Peasants 715. Religious Communities 1116. Muslims7. Islamic Law and Education8. Sufi Orders and Popular Culture9. Courtship and Marriage10. Sex and Family11. Eating, Drinking, Smoking, and Celebrating12. Games and Popular Sports13. Sickness, Death, and DyingSelected BibliographyIndex