This article offers an approach to Ottoman urban history that puts boundaries at the focus of attention. It serves as an introduction to four case studies exploring social, communal and political boundaries in different Ottoman cities from the eighteenth to the early twentieth century. Our understanding of boundaries rests on a theoretical approach that considers urban space as a collection of socially constructed territories whose boundaries have important functions that serve to structure urban life. From a long-term perspective boundaries can also serve as a heuristic tool to examine the transition from the Ottoman to the post-Ottoman period and its effects on urban environments. In conclusion, the article explores in how far Ottoman urban boundaries in their various transformations can explain present-day urban situations.

中文翻译：

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行政边界，社区隔离和派系领土化：奥斯曼帝国城市边界的复杂性

本文提供了一种对奥斯曼城市历史的方法，该方法将边界作为关注的焦点。它作为对四个案例研究的介绍，探讨了从18世纪到20世纪初在不同奥斯曼帝国城市中的社会，公共和政治边界。我们对边界的理解基于一种理论方法，该方法将城市空间视为社会建构领土的集合，其边界具有有助于构建城市生活的重要功能。从长远角度来看，边界也可以用作启发式工具，以检查从奥斯曼帝国到后奥斯曼帝国时期的过渡及其对城市环境的影响。总之，本文探讨了奥斯曼帝国的城市边界在各种转型中可以解释当前城市状况的程度。