Travelers on the Margins: Mobility of Arabic-Speaking Christians in the Ottoman Empire
About the project:
- Principal Investigator: Dr. Vevian Zaki
- Funded by: EU
- Timeframe: 2024-2026
My project, "Travelers on the Margins: Mobility of Arabic-Speaking Christians in the Ottoman Empire (MOBASC)," investigates the travels of Eastern Christian within the fringes of the Ottoman Empire. Despite its remote desert location, St. Catherine’s Monastery served as a road stop, destination, or a residence for Eastern Christians during Ottoman times. Contrary to the belief that St. Catherine became an isolated Greek enclave in an Arabic-speaking region during this period, my research aims to demonstrate the monastery’s active involvement in the lives of Eastern Christians.
This relationship is revealed through the marginal notes written by Eastern Christians in the manuscripts of St. Catherine, now housed in the monastery and other European repositories. During this project, I will collect these marginal notes, documenting their authors, places of origin, reasons for visiting the monastery, and any other pertinent information. This data will be employed to map their mobility, uncovering the motives and strategies behind their travels. Ultimately, this will allow for a comparative analysis with other contemporary mobility patterns and contribute to a deeper understanding of the social and cultural dynamics of Eastern Christian communities in the Ottoman Empire.
Upcoming events:
Call for Papers: Mobility of Arabic-Speaking Christians across the Ottoman Empire
Conference Abstract: Mobility of Arabic-Speaking Christians across the Ottoman Empire
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions & Support to Experts programme, post-doctoral fellowships.