Reading the City: Epigraphy and Space in Istanbul in Ancient, Byzantine, and Ottoman Times
Summer Academy | Orient-Institut Istanbul | September 21–27, 2026
Coorganized by the Orient-Institut Istanbul, the Center for the Study of Manuscript Cultures Hamburg and the Institute for Medieval Research of the Austrian Academy of Sciences.
Instructors
Dr. Christiane Czygan, Orient-Institut Istanbul
Prof. Dr. Kaja Harter-Uibopuu, CSMC Hamburg
Dr. Krystina Kubina, University of Vienna
Prof. Dr. Christoph K. Neumann, Orient-Institut Istanbul
PD Dr. Andreas Rhoby, Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna
Prof. Dr. Mustafa Hamdi Sayar, Istanbul University
Assist. Prof. Dr. Gülşah Taşkın, Boğaziçi University
This interdisciplinary Summer Academy invites advanced MA students, doctoral candidates, and early postdoctoral researchers to explore the role of epigraphy in shaping Istanbul’s urban, sacred, and imperial spaces across antiquity, the Byzantine era, and the Ottoman period.
Inscriptions constitute not only documents but also monuments or artefacts situated in specific spatial settings, where they actively mark and articulate thresholds. This conviction forms the basis for all further inquiries of the academy. Building on this perspective, the program will examine how epigraphic texts delineate transitions between sacred and profane, interior and exterior, imperial and civic. Inscriptions on palatial gates and entrances to religious buildings, on convent walls, and along the Bosporus shoreline in Üsküdar (a major point of passage between Anatolia and Istanbul) will serve as case studies.
Sessions will combine seminar discussions with excursions in the city, allowing participants to engage with inscriptions both in a classroom setting and in situ. Student presentations will alternate with contributions by the faculty, fostering an interactive and dialogical format. Emphasis will be placed not only on decipherment but also on the physical setting, visibility, and performative dimensions of each inscription. Broader questions and comparative approaches are welcome.
Working knowledge of at least one epigraphic language (Ancient Greek, Latin, Arabic, Ottoman Turkish, etc.) is recommended.
Costs for accommodation will be supported. Lunch as well as two group dinners will be covered.
Application deadline: January 3, 2026, notifications will be sent by January 31, 2026
Please upload application with your motivation letter, CV, and a short letter of reference each as a separate PDF file using the link here.
