2025/08/28 by Stefan Peychev · 1 voice
Arts and Humanities · Social Sciences · #Cultural and Sociopolitical Studies #History and Cultural Heritage #Islamic Studies and History
paper · doi:10.1017/9781009558822
openalex publication_date 2025/08/28 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
In this innovative interdisciplinary work, Stefan Peychev problematizes the dominant narrative of decline and stagnation in Ottoman Sofia. Drawing on a range of sources and perspectives, including environmental and urban history, archaeology and anthropology, he examines the creation and experience of urban space and place. By employing a longue durée framework and considering empire-wide developments, this work challenges the epistemological boundaries that have traditionally separated Ottoman from post-Ottoman space and the Middle East from Southeast Europe. Peychev argues instead for an integrated understanding of Sofia's water infrastructure, in which Ottoman ideas of the built environment fused with local cultural and technological traditions to create an efficient and long-lasting system.