SEABORD Project Workshop: Maintaining the Past - Reuse and Adaptation in the Making of Ottoman Fortresses
The Cyprus Institute’s APAC Labs / STARC organized a workshop in the context of SEABORD project on Friday, 28 & Saturday 29 March 2025, focused on the Frontier Fortresses of Eastern Mediterranean.
Fortifications are fascinating landmarks, being enduring witnesses to centuries of history and culture in the Eastern Mediterranean. Their survival reflects the strategic choices of their patrons and builders as well as the defensive efforts to protect societies and local communities during times of insecurity. The Ottoman Empire, through its long history, used fortifications to project power, exercise control as well as to protect its interests and its people. Although the Ottomans built few fortresses from the ground in the Eastern Mediterranean regions such as the Peloponnese, Cyprus, Crete, and Anatolian shores, they proved to be particularly adaptive in the reuse and appropriation of previous works, built by the Byzantine, Frankish and Venetian rulers of the region. Ottoman authorities followed the long traditions of reuse in military architecture, which were common practice since antiquity. In this framework, Ottomans integrated existing works into their administrative and military systems, maintaining, and adapting them according to their needs and strategies. Much like the Byzantines, who approached fortresses with the mindset of theia oikonomia (emphasizing practicality and spiritual significance), the Ottomans maintained these structures as practical, living spaces suited to their own strategic needs. Their adaptations—through repairs, restorations, and modifications—ensured that these fortresses and fortification works protecting towns and cities remained functional and relevant. Unlike modern attitudes that often seek to preserve such sites as “museums of the past,” the Ottomans understood and utilized these fortresses differently, as active spaces serving contemporary purposes.
This workshop explored aspects of Ottoman attitudes and practices in the reuse, restoration and adaptation of fortifications in the making of fortresses and fortified towns. Workshop presentations drew from historical, archaeological and archival sources, with a particular focus on keşif defterleri—“architectural inspection records” — which provide invaluable details about the repairs, materials, costs, and administrative oversight involved. These records, however, pose challenges in the study of their terminology and architectural descriptions, thus calling for interdisciplinary approaches and collaborative study towards a more holistic understanding of their.
The workshop aimed to bridge the gap between history, architecture and reuse, addressing key questions:
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- What building traditions and attitudes towards fortifications did the Ottomans inherited from Byzantium and how were they influenced by Western European developments?
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- Do the keşif defterleri reveal about Ottoman restoration practices?
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- How can we identify physical traces of these restorations in fortress remnants today?
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- What methodologies and tools can help us interpret and preserve these structures?
The event included focused presentations, discussions, and a site visit to Nicosia’s Walled City, where participants engaged the historical and material complexity of the famous Venetian fortifications which remain the most iconic monument and a point of reference for locals and visitors to the Cypriot capital. By combining archival research with architectural analysis, the workshop fostered interdisciplinary collaboration, offering fresh insights into how Ottoman fortresses were maintained, adapted, preserved and neglected over time—efforts that have ensured their survival to this day.
