Westernization in Ottoman Culture and Built Environment

The time frame of this study corresponds to an era from the 14th century to the end of the Ottoman Empire. The westernization trends and changes in culture and architecture were faster and radical particularly in the 18th and 19th centuries and the changes that the Empire passed through reveal a need of handling new understandings attributed to education, social and political situation as a whole. This period also coincides with a period when the Ottoman Empire was questioned in a socio-political sense, and accordingly, change was inevitable. In this context, the radical change of the empire reveals the need to address the new meanings imposed on education, lifestyles, families and women as a whole. The increasing economic and political relations between Ottoman and Western world caused Ottoman society to change its shell in a social and cultural sense. While early changes in culture and built environment were mostly political and military-based and limited to certain public buildings, later the changes spread to the whole society, particularly to those living in cities, which resulted in changes in lifestyles, housing, space organizations and interiors. One has to also realize that Istanbul, being one of the major centers for commerce, transportation, education and administration in Europe, took a leading role in this process. Based on early written Ottoman texts and studies on the history and architectural history, a general overview of westernization will be made with reference to culture and built environment relations with specific emphasis on social changes in the society, family life and home interiors.