Gateway to the Mediterranean - An Environmental History of Late Ottoman Izmir

This in-depth exploration of Ottoman Izmir is the first book to study a Mediterranean port city through an environmental historical lens. Onur ¿nal documents the development of this major Eastern Mediterranean port-city from small coastal town, to transport hub, to a gateway linking the river valleys of Western Anatolia to worldwide markets. Key to this evolution, he argues, was the relationship between a city and countryside which not only shared a common past, but fundamentally reshaped each other during the years of the late Ottoman Empire. Introducing a cast of both human and non-human historical actors, including camels, horses and micro-organisms, ¿nal demonstrates the transformative impact of their interaction on the city and its hinterlands. By proposing the 'gateway city' model, this rich analysis provides an alternative way to understand the creation of an integrated economic and ecological space in Western Anatolia.

List of contents

Acknowledgments; Notes on Spelling and Pronunciation; Notes on Dates and Place Names; List of Abbreviations; Introduction; 1. Complexity; 2. Nature on the Move; 3. Animal Power; 4. Tracks of Change; 5. Golden Promise; 6. Fiber of Fortune; 7. Flavors of the Sun; 8. The Gateway; Conclusion; Bibliography; Index.

About the author

Onur İnal is a senior researcher based in the Near Eastern Studies Department of the University of Vienna.

Product details

• Authors: Onur İnal
• Publisher: Cambridge Academic
• Languages: English
• Product format: Hardback
• Release: 31.07.2025
• EAN: 9781009607261
• ISBN: 978-1-009-60726-1
• Illustrations: Worked examples or Exercises
• Series: Studies in Environment and History
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Biology > Ecology; Ottoman Empire, HISTORY / Historical Geography, maritime history, Turkey, The environment, Middle Eastern history, Historical Geography, c 1517 to c 1914 (Early Modern Egyptian period)