Cities and saints : Sufism and the transformation of urban space in medieval Anatolia / Ethel Sara Wolper.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wolper, Ethel Sara, 1960-

Series:

Buildings, landscapes, and societies ; 3.

[Buildings, landscapes and societies ; 3]

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Architecture, Medieval--Turkey.

Architecture, Medieval.

Islamic architecture--Turkey.

Islamic architecture.

Architecture and society.

City planning.

History.

Turkey.

Architecture--Turkey.

Architecture.

City planning--Turkey--History.

Sufism--Turkey.

Sufism.

Dervishes--Turkey.

Dervishes.

Architecture and religion.

Architecture and society--Turkey.

Physical Description:

xviii, 134 pages : illustrations, maps ; 27 cm.

Place of Publication:

University Park, Pa. : The Pennsylvania State University Press, [2003]

Summary:

In recent years, Sufism has become all but synonymous with the mystic poetry of Jalal al-Din Rumi (d. 1273) and the ritual "whirling" of dervishes from Turkey. This branch of Islam does, however, have a long, complex history, and spiritual retreat was only one aspect of its significance. In medieval Anatolia, Cities and Saints contends, Sufis made alliances that gave dervish lodges powers so vast that they were able to alter the layout of cities and serve as the means of forging new social bonds. Through close examination of the design and function of medieval Sufi buildings in several Anatolian cities, Ethel Sara Wolper shows that dervish lodges became sites where a new ruling elite promoted the cult of Sufi saints. Wolper's discussion, enriched by the use of a wide range of primary sources, goes on to chart the role Sufis and their patrons played in the establishment of a new urban order anchored in dervish lodges built near city gates, markets, and along major thoroughfares. Highly original, Cities and Saints unites architectural history with the study of urban space and the spread of Islam. It will be an important reference for students of community formation in the Middle East as well as historians of art, architecture, and religion.

Contents:

Part I Buildings and Religious Authority in Medieval Anatolia

Chapter 1 Visual Authority and Sufi Sanctification: Negotiating Elite Survival After the Mongol Conquest 16

Chapter 2 The Patron and the Sufi: Mediating Religious Authority Through Dervish Lodges 24

Part II Dervish Lodges and Urban Spaces: Sivas, Tokat, and Amasya

Chapter 3 Dervish Lodges and the Transformation of City Spaces 42

Chapter 4 City Streets and Dervish Lodges: Constructing Spiritual Authority in Sivas, Tokat, and Amasya 60

Part III Audiences and Dervish Lodges: Proclamations and Interpretations

Chapter 5 Dervish Lodges and the Transformation of Resident Populations: Christians, Craftsmen, and Akhis 74

Chapter 6 Women as Guarantors of Familial Lines: Dervish Lodges and Gender Representation in Pre-Ottoman Anatolia 82

Chapter 7 Islamization and Building Conversion: Epic Heroes After the Baba Rasul Revolt 92.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 119-125) and index.

ISBN:

0271022566

OCLC:

51817262