KEMAL H. KARPAT CENTER FOR TURKISH STUDIES
presents
“The City and the Holy Mountain: The Long History of the Cultic Interface Between Caesarea/Kayseri and Mount Argaeus/Erciyes”
with OYA PANCAROĞLU, Professor in the Department of History at Boğaziçi University, Istanbul
Thursday, April 24, 2025, 11 AM-12:30 PM US CT
Zoom: https://uwmadison.zoom.us/j/97983351377?pwd=AFmNHaANKBH4DCcftbadDX4HZNirla.1
Mount Argaeus/Erciyes, the extinct volcano that rises to a height of 3917 meters in the central Anatolian plateau, has had a long history of sanctity, intertwined with Caesarea/Kayseri, the urban settlement to its immediate north. This lecture will trace the evidence for the attribution of holy status to the mountain from the Bronze Age onward, focusing particularly on images and implements from the Roman period, the subsequent Christianization of the mountain by the introduction of martyr cults in late antiquity and the later layer of Muslim appropriation and partial re-identification of significant sites on the foothills in the medieval period. The evolution of the cults associated with the mountain will be considered in tandem with the transformation of the urban settlement known in antiquity as Mazaca to the Cappadocian metropolis of Caesarea in the late Roman period and its Byzantine, Danishmendid and Seljuk afterlives.
Oya Pancaroğlu is a Professor in the Department of History at Boğaziçi University. She obtained her PhD in Islamic art and architecture from Harvard University in 2000. Her research interests include Islamic architecture in medieval Anatolia, ceramic production in the medieval Persianate world and figural representation in Islamic art.
About Karpat Lectures: The Karpat Center organizes, funds, and hosts an Annual Karpat Lecture and Karpat Zoom Lectures for students, faculty, and the Madison-area community, in addition to co-sponsoring UW events, and initiatives that come from the UW students/faculty.
About Kemal H. Karpat Center for Turkish Studies (KCTS): The Kemal H. Karpat Center advances UW-Madison’s tradition of excellence across the diverse fields that constitute Turkish Studies. We offer funding opportunities for current UW students and events for students, faculty, and the Madison-area community.
Organized and sponsored by the Kemal H. Karpat Center for Turkish Studies, Department of History
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