University Libraries: HIST 351: Ottoman Empire: Primary Sources

Ask the Library

HIST 351: Ottoman Empire Resources

Image: NYPL

This research guide provides links to full-text English language primary and secondary resources on the Ottoman Empire.

British and American Newspapers

British and American newspapers cover events taking place in the Ottoman Empire from the 1700's forward. The newspapers will often reflect contemporary attitudes and an American or British viewpoint.

Americas Historical Newspapers
American newspapers from 1690 to 1876. Search for "Turkey", "Ottoman", or specific places or events.
New York Times, Historical, 1851-2020

Full text of the newspaper from 1851-2017.
Times of London Digital Archive, 1785-1985

Full text coverage of the newspaper from 1785-1985.
Illustrated London News

Online access to the entire run of the ILN. Each page has been digitally reproduced in full color. Articles and captions are full-text searchable. Dates of coverage: 1842-2003.
Daily Mail Historical Archive

Full-text articles and images from the Daily Mail (1896-2004) and the Daily Mail Atlantic edition (1923-1931).

Books, Reports, and other Printed Works from the 1700's-1920's

These sources primarily include English language sources and reflect the attitudes and viewpoints of the writers.

Eighteenth Century Collections Online (ECCO)

More than 180,000 English-language and foreign-language books, pamphlets and broadsides in all subjects from the United Kingdom and the Americas, between 1701 and 1800.

Hathi Trust
E-text of books from 80 partner libraries. Many books are full-text with no restrictions. Excellent source for books published after conflicts prior to 1950. Largest collection is pre-1923. Search for "Turkey" or "Ottoman" to locate books. Also includes government reports.
Google Book Search : Advanced
On the advanced search page, limit your search to the years of your topic to find contemporary accounts and/or information.
History of Turkey Primary Documents
Multiple languages, many with English translations.
American Board Pamphlet Collections
The American Board pamphlet collection contains roughly 1000 brochures, booklets, leaflets, flyers, and off-prints that date from the mid-1800s to the present, with close to one-third from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.

more... less...

Approximately 85% of the materials focus on the operations, institutions, or affiliate organizations of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (ABCFM) that were located in Turkey and the Balkans.
The ABCFM was a Protestant mission agency that operated in Turkey and the Balkans from 1820 the 1920's and established more than 20 mission stations, 50 boarding and high schools, and ten colleges in Anatolia and its surroundings.
American Board Periodical Collection
Full-text holdings of English language periodicals published in Turkey including The Levant Trade Review, issued by the American Chamber of Commerce for Turkey and the Levant from 1911 to 1931, and The Orient, produced by the ABCFM’s Istanbul office between 1910 and 1923.

These digital books are primarily in Turkish, but include sources in all the languages of the Ottoman Empire.

Ottoman-Turkish Literature: Duke University Library
Digitized books in Turkish, Arabic, and Greek. Excellent images of pages and illustrations.
Farabi Digital Library
Includes Ottoman Yearbooks and other resources. Many Arabic language resources.

Images and Maps

Abdul Hamid II Collection
"This monumental collection portrays the Ottoman Empire during the reign of one of its last sultans, Abdul-Hamid II. The 1,819 photographs in 51 large-format albums date from about 1880 to 1893."

more... less...

"They highlight the modernization of numerous aspects of the Ottoman Empire, featuring images of educational facilities and students; well-equipped army and navy personnel and facilities; technologically advanced lifesaving and fire fighting brigades; factories; mines; harbors; hospitals; and government buildings. Most of the places depicted are within the boundaries of modern-day Turkey, but buildings and sites in Iraq, Lebanon, Greece and other countries are also included."
NYPL Digital Collections: Turkey
Images and prints from "The Middle East in Early Prints and Photographs."
Maps of the Ottoman Empire
"The bulk of the collection contains topographical maps compiled at the British Intelligence Division War Office in 1915 derived from map and survey data collected during multiple expeditions 1839-1906. "

Artstor on JSTOR
High-resolution art and architecture images . Includes thousands of images of architecture, painting, sculpture, photography, decorative arts, design, and other forms of visual culture from the Ottoman Empire. Search using "Ottoman", limit by type of artifact or time period in the advanced search.