© Museum Fünf Kontinente, Marietta Weidner
Governor al-Jazzar: Anti-colonial Arab hero or Ottoman tyrant?
In the 18th century, a state structure with more clearly defined contours took shape in northern Palestine under Ottoman governor Ahmad Pasha al-Jazzar. This political transformation was accompanied by the region’s deeper integration in Mediterranean trade. As a result, al-Jazzar is seen as symbolic of the fundamental changes that swept the eastern Mediterranean at this time – changes that allowed him to put an end to Napoleon Bonaparte’s military expansion in the region, and to profoundly alter the urban infrastructure of the city of Akkon.
Tonight’s lecture will examine the contradictory ways in which al-Jazzar is remembered and discuss his significance for the history of the region.
The lecture will be presented by Professor Konrad Hirschler (University of Hamburg) as part of the series Basics of Islam: Personalities organized by the Münchner Mittelost-Mittelmeer-Mittelasien-Zentrum (4MZ, Munich Middle East Mediterranean Central Asia Center).
The event will be held in German. You can find more information on the website of the Institute for Near and Middle Eastern Studies.