Architecture and the Turkish City ─ An Urban History of Istanbul Since the Ottomans

Architecture and urban planning have always been used by political regimes to stamp their ideologies upon cities, and this is especially the case in the modern Turkish Republic. By exploring Istanbul's modern architectural and urban history, Murat Gül highlights the dynamics of political and social change in Turkey from the late-Ottoman period until today. Looking beyond pure architectural styles or the physical manifestations of Istanbul's cultural landscape, he offers critical insight into how Turkish attempts to modernise have affected both the city and its population.

Murat Gul is Professor of Architecture at Istanbul Technical University, Turkey. He has previously taught at the TOBB University of Economics and Technology in Ankara, Turkey, the International University of Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina, the University of Sydney, Australia and Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University in Istanbul, Turkey. He is the author of The Emergence of Modern Istanbul: Transformation and Modernisation of a City (I.B.Tauris, 2009) and co-author of Istanbul Architecture (2013)