[Discussion] "The Turks and Palestine: 1000 years of relations"

[sule tarakcioglu]

The Hebrew University of Jerusalem
The Institute for Asian and African Studies
and
The Itzhaq Ben-Zvi Institute For the Study of Eretz-Israel and the
Heritage of Sephardi and Eastern Jewry

Call for Papers: "The Turks and Palestine: 1000 years of relations"

An international conference to be held in Jerusalem, 22-24 June 2004

Since the ninth century C.E., Turkish military and political elites have
played a key role in the history of Palestine. The centuries of Turkish
presence and rule in the region have left a rich heritage in many realms,
such as politics, economics, social history, law, language, material
culture, daily life, and collective and individual memory. The best known
time of Turkish influence over the country is, of course, the Ottoman=20
period
(1516-1917/8), but previous =93Turkish=94 dynasties have left their mark =
on the
history of the country: Tulunids, Ikhshids, Seljuqs, and most notably the
Mamluks. Even at other intervals, i.e. the Crusader and Ayyubid periods,
the presence of Turkish soldiers in Muslim armies was decisive in decidin=
g
the ultimate fate of Palestine and the surrounding territories. With the
abolishment of the Ottoman Sultanate and the emergence of the Republic of
Turkey after World War I, Turks have continued to play a certain part in=20
the
affairs of the region, during the time of the British Mandate, after the
creation of the State of Israel and up to today; recent years have=20
witnessed
a growing role for Turkey in the area.

The aim of the conference is to examine the role of the Turkish rulers,
elites and peoples in the history of the country, both in the specific
periods and in the longue duree. The focus of the conference will be on t=
he
Ottoman period, but sessions will also be devoted to both the pre-Ottoman
times, as well the role of modern Turkey. Special emphasis will be placed
on relations between the Turks and the local population, Muslim, Christia=
n
and Jewish.

For further information contact:
Prof. Reuven Amitai, Institute of Asian and African Studies, Hebrew
University of Jerusalem, Mt. Scopus, Jerusalem 91905, Israel
tel: 972-5883659; fax: 972-2-5883658 email: amitai@h2.hum.huji.ac.il

("abstract" sunma tarihi gecmis, bilgi edinilmesi icin g=F6nderiliyor)