Ottoman Women Builders

An examination of the historical figure and architectural patronage of Hadice Turhan Sultan, this study shows how a queen mother from the Ottoman court shaped the political and cultural agenda of the empire during the latter half of the seventeenth century. Lucienne Thys-Senocak demonstrates how Turhan Sultan, through her generous patronage of architectural works-including a large mosque, a tomb, a market complex in Istanbul, and two fortresses at the entrance to the Dardanelles-legitimated her new political authority as a valide, or queen mother. Based on archival research and archaeological fieldwork, this study makes original contributions to current debates in the fields of art history, cultural history and gender studies.