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 INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE SERIES:OTTOMAN SCHOLARSHIP FROM SAHN-I SEMĀN TO DARÜLFÜNŪN: SCHOLARS, INSTITUTIONS AND INTELLECTUAL PRODUCTS-I-FROM THE CONQUEST OF ISTANBUL TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SÜLEYMANİYE MADRASAS28-30 November 2014Istanbul, Turkey            When modern Ottoman Studies are appraised as a whole, one almost inevitably realizes that Ottoman civilization is considered mostly as a political entity. This unilateral approach is a great injustice to the Ottoman Empire and its rich intellectual heritage deeply rooted in Islamic civilization. In the axis of such a unilateral perspective, typical Ottoman historiography today narrates the history of the Ottoman Empire as a history of initiation, rise, recession and collapse within the frame of a progressive theory of history. In addition, classics of this literature reckon the scientific and intellectual activities of Ottoman civilization, which are indispensable and vital to the political structure, as peripheral agents, and place them in a secondary position of importance.            Though such a flawed image of Ottoman civilization may be widespread in contemporary academia, a sounder appraisal presents a vastly different picture.  Ottoman scholarly and intellectual life emerged and evolved as heir to and representative of Islamic tradition scholarship and made an immense contribution to every aspect of this tradition. Nurtured by many scholars and intellectuals coming to Anatolia from different parts of the Islamic world, this nascent tradition that began in the early 8th/14th century flowered into a vital and rich tradition especially after the conquest of Istanbul. The existing literature on Ottoman scholarship is either overshadowed by political historiography or narrated without a political context, therefore producing an inadequate account of intellectual historiography.            There is thus a critical need to re-examine Ottoman scientific and intellectual life after the conquest with a multi-dimensionally analytical approach, one which takes into account its pre-conquest connections and heritage. Therefore, Istanbul University’s Faculty of Theology is planning to organize a series of conferences which will focus on the various dimensions of Ottoman intellectual and scholarly life, its essential problems and interdisciplinary questions, with a special emphasis on Istanbul in particular. The first phase of the series, which is subtitled “FROM THE CONQUEST OF ISTANBUL TO THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE SÜLEYMANİYE MADRASAS” will take place on November 28-30, 2014 in Istanbul.Topics of interest include but are not limited to the following:·         Quran, Tafsir, Hadith·          Fiqh·         Law texts and Shari’a·         Philosophy·         Kalam,·         Tasawwuf·         Linguistics·          Ethics·         Political Theory·         Education·         The Commentaries (as-Shuruh, al-Hawashy, al-Ta’liq)·         Libraries·         Ulama networks and Ijazatnames·         The non-Muslim scholars and their contribution·         Political authority and intellectual productionThe Conference Committee preferably welcomes papers that treat the subjects and concerns given above in an interdisciplinary manner. The aim should be to discuss any given subject with a focus on Istanbul within the given chronological limits (roughly 1450-1550), though the processes involved may cover if necessary earlier and later periods.Submitted abstracts may not exceed 500 words. The presentations can be delivered in Turkish, Arabic or English. The accommodation of participants will be covered, and the transportation costs will be covered depending on availability. Selected papers will be published by the Faculty.Important DatesAbstract submission: May 15, 2014Notification of acceptance: June 1, 2014Papers due: September 30, 2014Conference date: November 28-30, 2014Organizing Committee:Prof. Dr. Murteza Bedir (Chairman)Prof. Dr. Ömer Mahir AlperProf. Dr. Reşat ÖngörenAssociate Prof. Dr. Ahmet Hamdi FuratAssociate Prof. Dr. Ali ÖztürkAssociate Prof. Dr. Bekir KuzudişliAssistant Prof. Dr. Abdullah TırabzonAssistant Prof. Dr. Mustakim ArıcıDr. Hüseyin SarıkayaSecretary for the ConferenceDr. Hüseyin SarıkayaMahmud AyyıldızEmine GörenHilal MenküçContactWebsite    (Turkish):  sahniseman.istanbul.edu.tr     (English):  sahniseman.istanbul.edu.tr/en     (Arabic):     sahniseman.istanbul.edu.tr/arE mail:         sahniseman2014@gmail.com