Ottoman Spatial Organization of the pre-modern City of Medina

• Main Author: Atef Alshehri
• Format: Article
• Language: deu
• Published: Institut National d'Histoire de l'Art 2018-10-01
• Series: ABE Journal
• Subjects: holy cities; Ottoman Empire; urban heritage
• Online Access: http://journals.openedition.org/abe/4341

This paper investigates the pre-modern urban development of Medina during the Ottoman reign within the framework of the Ottoman administration of the Arab provinces. Specifically, the spatial organization of Medina is investigated based on multiple visual, cadastral and historical sources. Although Medina was remote from the center of political power, it maintained an articulated significance for the Ottoman state structure, as much as the major provincial cities. This is evident in the continuous Ottoman role in staging its own image in Medina by introducing typical Ottoman hallmarks of urbanization. However, the spiritual significance of Medina, in turn, molded the applied methods of spatial organization, which had to be attuned to the religious sanctions and sensitive loci of worship. By the end of the Ottoman presence in Arabia, the resulting urban character and texture of the city reflected a fusion of spatial innovations with deep-rooted tradition, which shaped a lasting historical image of Medina.