The Ottomans at World’s Fairs: Displaying Imperial Patrimony

The Ottomans’ participation in world’s fairs has been studied from a variety of perspectives by architectural and cultural historians of the 19th century. This article particularly investigates the sources of inspiration for Ottoman pavilions, including how the Ottomans considered their imperial heritage as illustrative of the modernising world. In this respect, I argue that the Topkapı Palace, which was accepted as the architectural, ceremonial, and artistic embodiment of Ottoman patrimony, became a source of reference for self-representation. Therefore, the article discusses how the imperial pavilions and royal collections of the Topkapı Palace inspired the repertoire of the imperial imagery.