A barbershop in Istanbul, still keeping the guild-fraternity spirit with references to the patron saint of the barbers, Salman-i Farisi (Also see the bow & the arrow!)

論文　マフムト2世時代のイスタンブルの人口動態 Mustafa Mesut Özekmekçi. “II. Mahmut Döneminde (1833-1837) İstanbul Nüfusu ve Nüfus Hareketleri.” Osmanlı Araştırmaları 66 (2025) otmn osmanliarastirmalari.isam.org.tr/dergi/articl...

Had a very pleasant evening at İstanbul Bilgi University yesterday night; many thanks to the History Department for the invitation!

24 Aralık Çarşamba günü Bilgi Üniversitesi’nde olacağım. İlgilenenleri beklerim!

10 yıl önce Antalya Rotary Derneği'nde vermiş olduğum bir dinleti sayesinde tanıştığım Prof. Dr. Remzi Sanver bu toprakların yetiştirdiği en önemli bilim insanlarından birisidir. Çok önemli çalışmalar yapmış ve binlerce öğrenci yetiştirmiştir. Takdir edileceğine yapılanlara bakınca çok üzülüyorum.

We had a very successful panel at the Society of Architectural Historians (SAH) Annual Conference! Many thanks to my friends & colleagues Furkan Sarılıcan and Seán Silvia.

Our new research paper with Nathan Brown is out from @carnegieendowment.org ! #polisky #menasky @carnegiemec.bsky.social carnegieendowment.org/research/202...

Check out our new publication (it’s open access): Rik J. Janssen and S. Berk Metin, “19th Century Ottoman Archery Records Among Leiden Miscellanea,” 𝐾𝑒𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑓: 𝐸-𝐽𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑂𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛-𝑇𝑢𝑟𝑘𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑀𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜-𝐸𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 3, no. 1 (Winter 2025): 40–53. journals.univie.ac.at/index.php/ke...

Her: so what are your interests? Me:

Leave the world a little better than you found it. At least in your footprint. That’s the goal.

Today is a good day to think about what you want to be remembered for. Maybe you needed some courage. Find it today.

If you approach a brown, Arab, Palestinian, and/or Muslim person and demand they confirm they aren't antisemitic and won't harm Jews - you are a racist.

UK orthopedic surgeon on return from Gaza about what he experienced. I can’t even repeat the second part of the quote, it’s too awful. www.npr.org/2025/06/05/n...

Some light summer reading 🤪

Recent release that looks very interesting:

A record stone supposedly belonging to the mythic archery champion Tozkoparan (‘Dust-Breaker’) in Istanbul: Ṣāḥib’ül-Menzil fī'l-Meydān / Elleḏī ismuhu Tozḳoparan

Just saw Paths of Glory by Kubrick. Wow.

Mahmud II’s calligraphy practice (meşk) and his teacher’s note: Māşā-Allāh āferīn efendim

Excited to take part in TIOL-3, albeit remotely, to present our co-authored paper "Blurring the Boundary between Heresy and Orthodoxy: Foreign Travellers’ Accounts on Everyday Religiosity in 19th Century Istanbul" with @eosayin.bsky.social www.travellersinottomanlands.com/next-seminar

One of many moments in Omar El Akkad’s new book, “One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This,” that will stop you in your tracks.

Check out our new publication (it’s open access): Rik J. Janssen and S. Berk Metin, “19th Century Ottoman Archery Records Among Leiden Miscellanea,” 𝐾𝑒𝑠ℎ𝑖𝑓: 𝐸-𝐽𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑛𝑎𝑙 𝑓𝑜𝑟 𝑂𝑡𝑡𝑜𝑚𝑎𝑛-𝑇𝑢𝑟𝑘𝑖𝑠ℎ 𝑀𝑖𝑐𝑟𝑜-𝐸𝑑𝑖𝑡𝑖𝑜𝑛𝑠 3, no. 1 (Winter 2025): 40–53. journals.univie.ac.at/index.php/ke...

I am also struck by the prevaricating opening sentence. “Any intentional destruction” — as if Gazans might have blown their own institutions up, as if the IDF’s demolition teams and sophisticated targeting systems did this all by mistake.

As a reminder, the AHA council approved the following, about a month after the invasion of Ukraine. www.historians.org/news/aha-sta...

BOUN History+’ın davetlisi olarak 5 Aralık’ta Boğaziçi Üniversitesi’de olacağım. İlgilenenleri beklerim.

Many thanks to Mustafa Akyol for citing my research in his new book 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘴𝘭𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘤 𝘔𝘰𝘴𝘦𝘴: 𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘩𝘦𝘵 𝘐𝘯𝘴𝘱𝘪𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘑𝘦𝘸𝘴 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘔𝘶𝘴𝘭𝘪𝘮𝘴 𝘵𝘰 𝘍𝘭𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘪𝘴𝘩 𝘛𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘊𝘩𝘢𝘯𝘨𝘦 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘞𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥. Congratulations on publishing this important work which aims to build bridges in these divisive times.

Ryan Zohar and Berk Metin, “The Albert Nekimken Turkish Theater Collection: Censorship, Contentious Politics, and the Cold War Stage.” MELA Notes 96, vol. 1 (2023-2024): 1-26. doi.org/10.5070/M7.3...