Readings in Ottoman Historical Documents

This seminar is designed to provide graduate students with the paleographical skills essential for exploring the vast Ottoman archival and manuscript sources. Throughout the semester, we will read, copy, translate, and contextualize select materials from the Ottoman textual archives spanning the fifteenth to the early twentieth centuries. By the end of the semester, students will have enhanced their proficiency in reading diverse Ottoman archival materials written in various scripts. They will also practice rendering these original sources accessible to an English-speaking audience, ensuring both accuracy and precision in translating their meanings. Participants should possess a working knowledge of both modern and Ottoman Turkish and have a foundational understanding of Ottoman history.