REVIEW OF A. A. KUDELIN’S BOOK “EVOLUTION OF THE SOCIOPOLITICAL INSTITUTIONS OF OTTOMAN EGYPT (17–18TH CENTURIES)”

Abstract

The review considers the monograph by A. A. Kudelin “Evolution of the Socio-Political Institutions of Ottoman Egypt (17th–18th centuries)” (editor-in-chief S. A. Kirillina. Moscow: Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia, 2017. 178 pp.). The book is written at the intersection of Ottoman studies, Turkology and the history of the Arab countries, which makes it resonant and relevant, especially in the light of the views postulated by some fellow Turkologists on the crisis in domestic Ottoman studies. A. A. Kudelin’s research plays an important role in the long-term global discussion on the ballance between the imperial center in Istanbul and the authorities in the provinces of the Ottoman state. The main part of the book covers transformation of power structures of Ottoman Egypt. The high political status of Egypt in the state structure of the Ottoman Empire was determined by the importance of this province in Ottoman politics. A. A. Kudelin divided the period of Ottoman Egypt’s history, considered in the monograph, into three phases with the following timeframes: from 1609 to the middle of the 17th century, then from 1711 to the middle of the 18th century. Based on the analysis of numerous written sources, A. A. Kudelin succeeded in proposing a new periodization scheme for the struggle for power in Ottoman Egypt and drew rich mosaic of political influence groups in Cairo, which used a variety of approaches to strengthen their positions. Keywords: Ottoman Empire, Egypt, political history, review.