The Ottoman Conquest of Bilad al-Sham (the Levant) and the Transfer of the Caliphate through the Eyes of Contemporary Syrian Historians Modern Dönem Suriyeli Tarihçilerin Gözünden Osmanlı Devleti’nin Bilâdüşşam’ı Fethi ve Hilafetin İntikali Meselesi
Bulleten' Pocvennogo Instituta Imeni V.V. Dokucaeva, cilt.123, sa.123, ss.607-622, 2026 (Scopus)
- Yayın Türü: Makale / Tam Makale
- Cilt numarası: 123 Sayı: 123
- Basım Tarihi: 2026
- Doi Numarası: 10.19047/0136-1694-2025-123-5-29
- Dergi Adı: Bulleten' Pocvennogo Instituta Imeni V.V. Dokucaeva
- Derginin Tarandığı İndeksler: Scopus, Directory of Open Access Journals
- Sayfa Sayıları: ss.607-622
- Anahtar Kelimeler: Conquest, Fetih, Occupation, Osmanlı, Ottoman History, Selim, Sultan I, Sultan Selim I, Suriye Kaynakları, Syrian Sources, Tarihi, İşgal
- Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt Üniversitesi Adresli: Hayır
Özet
This study explores the perspectives of Syrian historians during the twentieth century on the Ottoman conquest of the Levant and the issue of the transfer of the Islamic Caliphate to the Ottomans. Syria is selected as a case study due to its role as the gateway through which the Ottomans entered the Arab world, its continuous inclusion under Ottoman rule for four centuries, and its enduring historical, cultural, and geopolitical ties with modern Turkey. The significance of this study lies in the scarcity of research that addresses this topic from the standpoint of Arabic sources. It also seeks to critically examine the commonly held claim that Arabs viewed the Ottoman Empire as an occupying force. Understanding the mutual perceptions between Arabs and Turks regarding the Ottoman state is crucial for fostering relations between the two peoples, and vice versa. Moreover, the study investigates the impact of political circumstances on Ottoman historical writings in Syria and the intellectual shifts that shaped them. This is accomplished through a comparative analysis of two generations of Syrian historians: the first, who lived through the final years of Ottoman rule and published their works in the first half of the twentieth century; and the second, whose writings emerged in the latter half of the same century. These findings indicate that the majority of Syrian historians regarded Sultan Selim I’s entry into the Levant as a welcomed conquest. However, a limited number of dissenting voices emerged in the 1970s, likely influenced by the political climate of that period.