Medieval Turkey

Abstract

In this chapter, Islamic archaeology of the medieval (11th–14th centuries) period in Turkey is related to international as well as national developments in the late Ottoman Empire and the Republic of Turkey in areas like cultural policy, economic development, and tourism. These and other factors directly impacted the choice of sites to be excavated, thereby affecting the archaeological record. The author also examines Islamic archaeology in Turkey in relation to that of other historical periods there and raises cases in which the archaeology of this period can address the cultural and economic shift that accompanied the establishment of Turco-Islamic states in former Byzantine lands.