Placing Islam

Front matter

PLACING ISLAM

GEOGRAPHIES f CONNECTION in TWENTIETH-CENTURY ISTANBUL

TIMUR HAMMOND

Part I. Storytelling (rivayet)

3. New Publics, Old Islam: Eyüp in the 1950s 4. Fluid Stories

PART II. BUILDING (BINA) 5. Ottoman Topographies 6. Tourists, Pilgrims, and the Rules of Place

7. Sharing Place: Ramadan in Eyüp

Conclusion: Common Places and Hospitality in a Changing World

27 46

87 109 128

Notes 159 Bibliography 197 Index 223

Bes IN

ILLUSTRATIONS

MAPS

The Mosque of Eyüp Sultan in relation to Istanbul xvi Central Eyüp, 1922 16

Environs of the Mosque of Eyüp Sultan 85

Central Eyüp, 2022 86

FIGURES

Screenshot of a Google search for “Eyüp” xvi Sketch of central Eyüp viewed from the opposite shore xvii

View of the Mosque of Eyüp Sultan and the Eyüp Ferry Station arriving via the Golden Horn 17

Detail of tiles in the Mosque of Eyüp Sultan 32

Flyer advertising a lecture sponsored by the Siyer Foundation 40 Visitor drinking from a fountain in the Mosque of Eyüp Sultan 66 Zamzam water for sale near the Mosque of Eyüp Sultan 69 Fountains in the inner courtyard of the Mosque of Eyüp Sultan 71 Detail of sebil of Mihrişah Valide Sultan 76

Feeding pigeons near the Mosque of Eyüp Sultan 78

. View of the Mosque of Eyüp Sultan from the central square 84 . The Fountain of the Eternal Eyüpsultanls 88 . “A Return to Origins” 96

Buildings adjacent to Eyüps central square rebuilt during the 1990s

. Passing through the Mosque of Eyüp Sultan on a Ramadan tour 110 ix

X

17. 18. 19. 20.

21. 22.

23. 24.

ILLUSTRATIONS

Outer courtyard of the Mosque of Eyüp Sultan 114

Tourists observing Friday prayers in the central square 118

Signs in the Mosque of Eyüp Sultan 125

The completed arcades beside the Mosque of Eyüp Sultan 131

Platform built for live television broadcasts next to the Mosque

of Eyüp Sultan 132

The arcades on a typical Ramadan day 136

Banner advertising iftar and sahur at a restored Ottoman-era mansion in central Eyüp 142

“Ramadan is not a month of enjoyment but of worship" 143

Visitors to the Mosque of Eyüp Sultan speaking with a photographer 150

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

Books—like places—are always products of the relationships that made them possible. Whether people know this place as Eyüp or Eyüp Sultan, I am grateful to everyone who has welcomed me. Several people have become especially central to my understanding of Eyüp. My deepest thanks to Ayla Gökçen Eren, Fatma Sevil Malcıoğlu, Nidayi Sevim, Deniz Sökmen, Şenol Tanju, Şener Türkmenoğlu, and Semra Zorluer. My research about this place was also facilitated by the tremendous efforts that the municipality has made to document and organize its own history. Between 2011 and 2013 I benefited from the regular use of their library collection; after it opened, I also worked at the Eyüp Sultan Research Center (EYSAM). My particular thanks to İrfan Çalışan and Hülya Yalçın for their efforts to make that center possible.

This book began as a dissertation at the University of California, Los Angeles. Lieba Faier saw this project take shape and helped me imagine it as a book. She continued to read drafts, offer suggestions, and encourage me to cross disciplinary and theoretical boundaries as this book has developed. Even though our paths cross less frequently today, my dissertation committee’s writing and thinking has continued to stay with me: Michael Curry and John Agnew both helped me think differently about place, and Susan Slyomovics modeled how to link area studies scholarship with disciplinary traditions. I was first drawn to UCLA to work with Denis Cosgrove; after he passed away, Irene Bierman helped me find my footing in graduate school. I mourn them both.

I was blessed with departmental colleagues at UCLA who were brilliant, funny, and supportive. I am especially grateful to Abigail Cooke, Nicholas Lustig, and Alice Huff, who have provided feedback at every step of the way. I worked as an xii ACKNOWLEDGMENTS adjunct for one year at the University of Vermont. My colleagues there helped me rekindle a sense of curiosity in my work. My thanks to Pablo Bose, Meghan Cope, Harlan Morehouse, Cheryl Morse, and Ingrid Nelson in particular.

The Department of Geography and the Environment at Syracuse University has been a welcome place to complete this book. For their guidance, feedback, and support, I am especially grateful to Jacob Bendix, Natalie Koch, Matt Huber, Tom Perreault, Bob Wilson, and Jamie Winders. Joseph Stoll graciously helped me prepare one of the maps. Margie Johnson and Debbie Toole have patiently handled all the paperwork.

I have also been sustained by friendships and collaborations across campus. Amy Kallander and Rania Habib both helped me with transcriptions from Arabic. My special thanks to the Humanities Center and the Central New York Humanities Corridor for cultivating a collegial and supportive environment at Syracuse and beyond. For sharing conversations and support, my thanks to Lawrence Chua, Nicole Fonger, Vivian May, Tessa Murphy, Brice Nordquist, Romita Ray, Sascha Scott, and Sarah Workman. Glenn Peers very generously read a chapter draft and offered suggestions. Organizing a writing group helped to finish my book while (mostly) avoiding the cycles of boom and bust. Although our numbers fluctuated, Patricia Roylance and Robert Terrell have been key companions. It was Patty who described her writing process as something akin to spelunking with a candle; we spend a lot of time groping about in the dark, but sometimes the light catches on a surface and the world gleams.

I shared a draft of my book with graduate students in my Spring 2022 cultural geography seminar. Their feedback helped me see some of the flaws in the book but also gave me the confidence to completely rewrite much of the preface and the introduction. My sincere thanks to Lauren Ashby, Amanda Beavin, Bella Corieri, Jamie Fico, Yeryun Hong, Molly McConnell, Larry Morgan, Avia Nahreen, Gabrielle Reagan, and Gabriel Smith. Dominic Wilkins provided immensely valuable and careful feedback. Alex Michel produced three lovely maps.

Biray Kolluoglu and Dikmen Bezmez helped me arrange letters of affiliation as a graduate student. Fellowships from the Fulbright Foundation and the American Research Institute supported my dissertation research. Dissertation writing was supported by the Institute of Turkish Studies and a dissertation completion fellowship from UCLA. At Syracuse University, a faculty leave in fall 2019 and a Humanities Center fellowship in spring 2020 also provided more space to revise the book.

For a variety of reasons, in-person research in Turkey has often been difficult over the past decade. My work has been made possible by the ongoing expansion of online archives. I am grateful to SALT Research, the Islamic Research Center (ISAM), the Marmara University Open Access archive, and the online scholarship repository DergiPark for making their materials accessible.

In the decade that I have been working on this project, I have been blessed with supportive friends and colleagues. For almost a decade, Kate Elizabeth Creasey

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xiii has been a steady and generous interlocutor. My thanks for past conversations and looking forward to many more. Nicolas Howe helped me to better frame the initial book proposal. Caroline Jennings worked with me to edit a sample chapter for my initial book submission. Ilaria Giglioli has helped me track my time and keep myself accountable over the past four years. Lále Can read through drafts of the introduction and several chapters; I am grateful for her friendship, generosity, and inspiration. Anand Taneja provided feedback on a draft chapter. Christiane Gruber has provided both encouragement and an ever-expanding list of new sources. Vincent Artman generously shared articles on short notice. During my final push to finish the manuscript, both Diana Davis and Veronica della Dora helped me maintain a sense of excitement about my project.

I have been lucky to share conversations, classes, and conferences with friends, teachers, mentors, and colleagues while working on this book. My thanks to Ceren Abi, Elizabeth Angell, Reem Bailony, Josh Carney, Eray Çaylı, Zeynep Çelik, Brittany Cook, Feray Coşkun, Nick Danforth, Sarah el-Kazaz, Banu Gökarıksel, Ali Hamdan, Rezzan Karaman, Hikmet Kocamaner, Avital Livny, Amy Mills, Nilay Özlü, Christine Philliou, Janell Rothenberg, James Ryan, Armando Salvatore, Zeynep Simavi, Sarah-Neel Smith, Danielle van Dobben Schoon, Kent Schull, İpek Türeli, Özlem Ünsal, Fabio Vicini, Jeremy Walton, Murat Yıldız, and Seçil Yılmaz.

Iam delighted that this book will be published as part of the Islamic Humanities series at the University of California Press. Shahzad Bashir has offered encouragement and advice at every step of the way. His enthusiasm helped me immeasurably. The initial version of the manuscript benefited from two anonymous reviewers. Although they evaluated the book in very different ways, their comments helped the book’s arguments grow and develop. It has been a pleasure to work with Eric Schmidt and LeKeisha Hughes. Their timely responses and clear feedback—even amid a pandemic—made this project possible. Sharron Wood copyedited the final version of the book; the book is much better for her careful attention.

My parents, Ayshe Ege and Doug Hammond, have always supported this project. Among many other qualities, they are models of curiosity and empathy. My thanks to my brother Altay for always encouraging me to think bigger. When I lived in Istanbul between 2011 and 2013, I was lucky to live with my grandmother, uncle, and aunt. My grandmother, Muazzez Ege, passed away in 2014. She is buried next to her mother, İhsan Parlakses, in Karacaahmet Cemetery in Üsküdar. My uncle, Husseyin Ege, was an indelible part of my life in Istanbul. Our conversations, meals, and Istanbul adventures are woven through this book. He passed away in 2020, but I hold my memories of him close. My aunt, Atiye Yalcin Ege, has been a friend, a mentor, a teacher of Turkish, and a sustaining presence.

Kirsten Schoonmaker has lived alongside this project from the very beginning. I continue to be so grateful that we share a life; it's even better for the presence of Ollie and Riker. May we continue to grow into more generous versions of ourselves. Without fully understanding the process, we stumbled into a remarkable

XİV ACKNOWLEDGMENTS community in Syracuse. My thanks to friends and neighbors who have helped this place become home.

Like Eyüp, Syracuse has been made by many histories, above all the histories that tie the Haudenosaunee people to this land and its waterways. Central New York remains home to the Haudenosaunee. I acknowledge the ongoing history of dispossession across the Confederacy and am grateful to live and share place on these lands.

NOTE ON NAMES AND TRANSLITERATION

Throughout the book I use standard modern Turkish spelling for Turkish and Ottoman names and terms. This is complicated by the fact that the vocabulary of Turkish has changed considerably over the past century, most notably following the 1928 Alphabet Reform, which installed a modified Latin script in place of the modified Arabic script that had been used for Ottoman Turkish. Many religious terms in Turkish are cognates of their versions in Arabic (e.g., sahabe and sahaba), although some may be less recognizable (namaz and salah). In general, I use the Turkish version of religious terms. The index generally provides the Turkish word first but includes translations in English and Arabic where necessary. For names specific to this context, I also preserve their “standard” Turkish spelling (so, Halid bin Zeyd instead of Khalid bin Zayd). With the exception of İrfan Çalışan, who would be identifiable by his role in the local municipality, I use pseudonyms for my other interlocutors. For those who are older than me, I also use the terms “Bey” (Mr.), “Hanım” (Ms.), and “Amca” (uncle, often used as a mark of affectionate respect).

Place names are an especially complicated issue in this book, as they have been shaped by both linguistic shifts and different naming conventions. For the sake of consistency, I refer to the place at the center of this book as “Eyüp” However, people refer to it by many names and spellings, including Eyüb, Eyyub, Eyoup, Ayoub, Ayyub, Eyüp Sultan, Eyüpsultan (the district municipality's current name), and Belde-i Hazret-i Halid (the town of His Excellency Halid), among others. Where possible, I seek to retain the specificity of my ethnographic and archival interlocutors and use their versions when quoting.

XV xvi

NOTE ıstanbul Ring Road (0-7,

Mosgue of Eyüp en

Taksim

Bosphorus Golden

Horn Karaköy Üsküdar

Eminönü

MAP 1. The Mosque of Eyüp Sultan in relation to Istanbul today.

While most consonants in Turkish are pronounced similarly to English, there are several exceptions:

c is pronounced as j in James or jam? (cami)

ç is pronounced as ch as in chair (çarşı)

ş is pronounced as sh as in shift (sube)

j is pronounced as in French (jön)

£ is typically silent, lengthening the previous vowel (ağaç)

Modern Turkish has eight vowels:

a is pronounced as the a in cat (kitap)

e is pronounced as the e in bet (Eyüp)

1is pronounced as the i in cousin (hakkında) iis pronounced as the ee in seem (kitap)

o is pronounced as the o in goal (bol)

6 is pronounced as the i in bird (göz)

u is pronounced as ou in you (umur)

ü is pronounced as ew in few (türbe)