The Department of History at Trinity College Dublin @historytcd.bsky.social hosts Dr. Uğur Zekeriya Peçe @ugurpece.bsky.social for a talk titled "Bury the Hatchet: Civil War and Peace in Ottoman Crete" on September 30 (Tuesday), 18.00-20.00. For more information, see www.tcd.ie/ahss/news-an...

Island & Empire is one year old already, here pictured next to a rose plucked from the mountains of Sfakia, Crete. As the book turns one year old, I'm happy to share reviews by two historians I admire: Ella Fratantuono and Laura Robson. @stanfordpress.bsky.social

Great episode of Ottoman History Podcast with @ugurpece.bsky.social: www.ottomanhistorypodcast.com/2024/12/pece...

Looking forward to talking about an island & an empire!

I reviewed Leyla Amzi-Erdoğdular's wonderful book "The Afterlife of Ottoman Europe: Muslims in Habsburg Bosnia Herzegovina" for JOTSA. Link and text below for those interested. www.academia.edu/127813727/Re...

If you're in Athens, I'd love to see you at my book talk. To join remotely, please register in advance: us02web.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Rainbow off the coast of Crete

Sound of mountains in Sfakia, Crete.

Please share: Call for Applications Winter School: Reading and Analysing Ottoman Manuscript Sources March 17-25, 2025, Rethymno (Greece), IMS/FORTH www.ims.forth.gr/en/news-item...

In many Ottoman mosques one sees the following part of the 37th verse of the sura Al-i İmran written on the top part of the mihrab: "Whenever Zachariah visited her (Mary) in the sanctuary (mihrab)." The photo here is from the famous mihrab of Hagia Sophia. And there are many other similar examples.

Congratulations, Zozan! Looking forward to reading it.

Optimist: the cup is half full Pessimist: the cup is half empty Late Ottomanist: The CUP

Tell me you're in Greece without telling me you're in Greece.

In August 1906, the French consul, together with the commander of the French forces in Crete, visited the tiny island of Spinalonga, 750 metres away from the coast of Crete (photo on the left is from chapter 3 of Island & Empire). Today it was I who was on a boat.

Spinalonga is a tiny island off the coast of Crete. It's known for its impressive Venetian fortress but also for being turned into a leper colony in 1903 which remained open till the 1950s. I'm going there tomorrow for the first time. Curious & excited. Will keep you posted.

Rethymno, Crete

I'm very excited that I'll be talking about my book on the island where it was conceived years ago! Tonight at 8:30pm. We are on a Mediterranean time, so we better call this book premiere instead of book talk :)