Emily Neumeier

While recent movements in social and economic history have encouraged scholars to turn their gaze toward the periphery, the majority of recent accounts of Ottoman architecture remain focused on the patronage of the imperial court in Istanbul. This project aims to expand the view, standing as the first book-length study devoted to the art and architecture of provincial notables in the Ottoman empire. Specifically, this study explores the flourishing of cultural production on the empire’s western frontier under Ali Pasha of Tepelena, who governed what is now Greece and Albania for more than thirty years, during the so-called Age of Revolutions from 1788 to 1822. By tracing the governor’s capacity to construct urban architectural complexes including palaces, mosques, and even Christian monasteries, this project demonstrates that shifts in the political order translated into new, localized strategies for display that both responded to and challenged conventions of patronage established in Istanbul.