The Traveler as a Media Tool in the Ottoman Era (1500 AD – 1800 AD (A Historical Reading on the Transmission of Knowledge and the Construction of Image in Islamic History

Abstract

This study revealed the role of travelers during the Ottoman era as a primary media tool for transferring knowledge and shaping the collective image (mental image) of the Ottoman Empire and its neighboring regions. Furthermore, this research contributes to the re-evaluation of Ottoman travelers from a historical media perspective, opening up new horizons for understanding the traditional means of information transfer before the advent of modern media.

This paper reveals the cognitive and communicative (media) role of travelers in the Ottoman era as conduits for information transfer. The research focuses on analyzing the texts of official and civilian travelers, such such as Evliya Çelebi and Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulsi, to uncover the mechanisms used for documenting daily events and monitoring social, political, and cultural transformations from an internal Ottoman perspective. Ottoman travelers were not merely voyagers recording geographical and social facts; rather, they were an early media instrument. Consequently, these travelers formed a central link in the knowledge and cultural communication network of the Ottoman Empire.

This topic was chosen due to its importance in revealing the role of travelers in transmitting knowledge and functioning as traditional media before the emergence of press and modern media, and in highlighting the relationship between travelers, documentation, and the construction of the political and cultural image.