The fact that elements of the tangible and intangible heritage of Byzantine Constantinople were preserved as the city’s urban layout was gradually transformed during the decades after the Ottoman conquest of 1453, is well known to international scholarship. Yet, the nature of this transformation and the degree to which the Byzantine background affected 16th-century realities is possible through the thorough study of an array of texts, careful examination of the material remains still visible in modern Istanbul, and a close focus on the diverse institutions active in the Ottoman capital. The contributors to the present volume investigate diverse aspects of the urban physiognomy and cultural activity of Constantinople/Istanbul during its early Ottoman phase by concentrating on the urban and institutional framework, the theological, antiquarian, and political interests of travelers and scholars active in the city, the religious life of local Christians, the appearance, use, and appropriation of the Byzantine monuments and public spaces, and the ways the image of the city was captured by artists and mapmakers.
