Proceedings of the International Congress on The Maghreb and the Western Mediterranean in the Ottoman Era

This book resulted from the congress which was organized jointly by the Royal Institute for the History of Morocco (IRRHM, Rabat) and IRCICA with the collaboration of the Faculty of Letters and Humanities, Mohammed V University, in Rabat. Its theme, with geographical focus on “The Maghreb and Western Mediterranean” and historical reference to the Ottoman period, brought into its scope multiple issues of international relations at sea and on land, travels and trade, economic competition, dynasties and legal systems. Relations between the states and societies around the Mediterranean, development of technology, arts and culture, and the external and the internal factors always at play in this zone of crossings, all came into the analysis. The theme “Discovering The Other” was addressed with studies on geographers and travelers with regard to how peoples of the Maghreb and the Ottoman world came to know each other through these sources. Among the texts studied were the works of illustrious Ottoman scientists-geographers such as Piri Reis and Katip Çelebi about Morocco and the travelogues resulting from Moroccan ambassadorial missions and Moroccan travelers in Ottoman lands. The theme “Maghrebians and Ottomans” covered a wide range of cases of unity and conflict, cooperation and competition, perception and treatment. Another session was devoted to the theme of economy and architecture, with references to European trade in the region, Ottoman legislation on trade, infrastructural developments and mutual influences between Ottoman and Maghrebian architectural styles and elements. The title “Western Mediterranean between Confrontation and Communication” covers several specific subjects such as the navies, slavery, and pilgrimage routes, while under “Between Localism and Centralism” topics were discussed in the context of relations between the Maghreb and the different regions of the Ottoman world. As to the theme “Maghreb in World History”, it highlighted diverse diplomatic relations within the region placing them in the context of the surrounding world environment. The papers are presented in this volume in their original languages – in Arabic, English, French or Turkish.