Call for Application: Summer School Reading and Analysing Ottoman Manuscript Sources (2026)
13-17 September, 2026, Ifpo, Amman (Jordan).
We invite students to participate in an international summer school devoted to reading and analysing Ottoman manuscript sources, with a particular focus on archival documents. This is the eighth edition of this format, following similar events in 2016 in Amman (Jordan), 2017 in Beirut (Lebanon), 2018 in Aix-en-Provence (France) and Ankara (Turkey), 2022 in Wittenberg-Berlin (Germany), 2024 in Cairo (Egypt), and 2025 in Rethymno (Greece).
The 2026 summer school is organised by the French Institute of the Near East (Ifpo), in cooperation with The Center for Documents, Manuscripts and Bilad al-Sham Studies at the University of Jordan, the Islamic Studies Department of the University of Halle-Wittenberg, the Center for Turkish, Ottoman, Balkan and Central Asian Studies (CETOBaC), the Institute of Research and Study on the Arab and Islamic Worlds (IREMAM, CNRS, amU), the Seminar für Sprachen und Kulturen des Vorderen Orients, Abteilung Islamwissenschaft at Universität Heidelberg, the Social Sciences University of Ankara (ASBÜ), the Orient-Institut Beirut (OIB) and the Institute for Mediterranean Studies/FORTH.
The summer school aims to overcome the initial difficulties researchers often face when working with archival documents from the Ottoman period, one of which has to do with technical terminologies no longer in use today. Today, early-career scholars often feel helpless when faced with Ottoman archival material in Ottoman Turkish or other languages used in the Empire, and they need to develop their skills in palaeography and philology. Besides, dialogue and exchange remain limited between the different schools of Ottoman history, particularly between scholars focusing on the analysis of imperial dynamics (who are generally specialists in the Ottoman language) and those who concentrate on the provinces of the Empire and who therefore work on sources produced in local languages.
How?
The five-day programme will introduce young researchers (mostly MA and Ph.D. candidates, though postdocs may also apply) to reading, combining and analysing manuscript sources from various archives of the Ottoman era, produced at the local, provincial and imperial levels. Materials from the 16th through the 20th centuries will receive most of our attention, but explorations into earlier archives are welcome.
Sessions will focus on the study of archives in Ottoman Turkish, Arabic and other languages so as to provide future historians with an idea of the skills necessary to use such sources within the framework of their research projects. The objective is to foster an exchange around theory and methodology among specialists of different regions of the empire. Coping with different languages is key to a comprehensive analysis of local dynamics in various provinces, be it on administrative, economic and social topics or in religious studies and belles-lettres. The five-day programme is however not a language course introducing beginners to Arabic or Ottoman Turkish.
An additional aim of the summer school is to encourage the use of manuscript sources in different languages by facilitating the identification and knowledge of diverse archival holdings. Bringing together specialists of different regions and subjects will encourage the exchange of information on archival repositories, their history, accessibility, and catalogues.
The summer school consists of small-group workshops allowing trainees to read and discuss archival documents with specialists familiar with different types of documents. During workshops, students will be asked to read and analyse a document of their choice.
In addition, there will be presentations on Ottoman archives and research tools in palaeography. There will also be talks about methodology, the practical and ethical issues related to sources and archives, and thematic discussions on Ottoman historiographic issues. Furthermore we might explore some Ottoman remains and heritage in and around Amman .
The working language of the summer school is English.
Who?
The summer school will accept up to 20 students depending on available funding. About 10 researchers and professors from French, German, Greek, Jordanian, and Turkish institutions will participate in the summer school as instructors.
Students enrolled in a Master or Ph.D. programme as well as researchers at an early post-doctoral stage, regardless of nationality, can apply for this summer school, provided that his or her research project requires the use of Ottoman source materials in Ottoman Turkish, Arabic or other relevant languages.
How Much?
No tuition fees will be charged. Selected students will be offered full coverage of the summer school costs, including accommodation, round-trip transportation from their country or place of residence to Amman, excursions and visits.
Applicants are welcome to mention in their file whether their home institution may (partly or fully) provide funding to cover for their travel and stay, as this may help select an additional student to attend the summer school.
Application Guidelines
In order to be considered, applications must include:
- a proposal outlining the candidate’s research project (maximum 600 words)
- a curriculum vitae, mentioning language skills (two pages maximum)
- name and contact of two referees that may be contacted for a recommendation.
The applications must be submitted in English.
Applications should be filled in online via the application form accessible through the following link: https://forms.gle/37HrLVmqyysBrK7G8
For further questions please use the following e-mail address: contact@ottomanuschool.org
Applications must be submitted by March 15th, 2026.
Reply from the organising committee will be forwarded before mid April 2026.
When?
The summer school will take place between September 13 and 17, 2026. Arrival is foreseen in Amman for Saturday, September 12, 2026; departure Friday, September 18, 2026 at the earliest.
Where?
The summer school will take place in Amman at the the French Institute of the Near East (Ifpo) (https://maps.app.goo.gl/byLgv8h8LFTDmoWJ7) and at the University of Jordan (https://maps.app.goo.gl/bFk7ZHPoQbfsytsA8).
List of potential instructors: Metin Atmaca (ASBÜ), Marc Aymes (CNRS and EHESS / CETOBaC), Alya Karame (OIB), Abdul-Hameed al-Kayyali(Ifpo), Astrid Meier (Universität Halle-Wittenberg), Norig Neveu (CNRS / IREMAM), Henning Sievert (Universität Heidelberg), Yannis Spyropoulos (IMS/FORTH).
Organisers: Metin Atmaca (ASBÜ), Marc Aymes (CNRS and EHESS / CETOBaC), Rabei al-Farajat (Jordan University), Alya Karame (OIB), Abdul-Hameed al-Kayyali (Ifpo), Astrid Meier (Universität Halle-Wittenberg), Norig Neveu (CNRS / IREMAM), Henning Sievert (Universität Heidelberg), Yannis Spyropoulos (IMS/FORTH).