Ottoman Plovdiv. Space, Architecture, and Population (14th‒17th Centuries)

Description

Grigor Boykov is Assistant Professor at the Institute for East European History at the University of Vienna. The significance of studying urban life and cities in the Balkans under Ottoman rule has long been recognized by modern academia, yet a detailed study of individual cities remains scarce. This monograph seeks to bridge this gap by delving into the rich history of Ottoman-era Plovdiv (Filibe), modern Bulgaria’s second-largest city. Drawing from the latest advancements in digital urban geo-humanities, this study positions Plovdiv as a window into the diverse human activities during the formative centuries of Ottoman governance. Moving beyond the constraints of conventional historical approaches, the book integrates spatial, architectural, and population data into a cohesive, georeferenced digital model of the city, allowing for a detailed exploration of urban landscape transformations and human presence over time and space. The book fosters a dialogue between urban space, Islamic architecture, and the city’s residents by proposing an analytical model that can serve as a potent methodological framework for studying other cities in the Balkans. ISBN 978-3 -7001-9364-7