Biography

Alper Metin studied architecture in Venice and Rome, earning his Ph.D. in Architectural History from Sapienza University of Rome in 2022 with a dissertation on the Aegean origins of the so-called Ottoman Baroque. His research explores the circulation of architectural forms, technical knowledge, and building materials within the broader framework of cross-cultural interactions among Mediterranean civilizations, with a particular focus on Italo-Ottoman exchanges. He recently co-organized a conference with Maria Georgopoulou at the Gennadius Library in Athens, titled Balkan and Aegean Artistic Identities in the Eighteenth Century Between East and West. Before joining I Tatti, he held a postdoctoral research position at the University of Bologna and taught as an adjunct professor at Sapienza University of Rome.

Project Summary

The long and arduous conquest of Crete (1645–1669) marks a pivotal moment in Ottoman history, with far-reaching implications not only for the political and military spheres but also for the cultural and artistic realms. In major urban centers such as Candia, Rethymno, and Chania, most Venetian buildings continued to be inhabited and restored, with some adapted to meet new social and religious needs. Moreover, the integration of Cretan architects, builders, and artisans into Ottoman professional networks facilitated the transmission of their multilayered formal and technical knowledge across the Archipelago, western Anatolia, and especially to the imperial capital, Istanbul. This book project investigates how, in the aftermath of the conquest, the Ottomans transformed Crete’s Venetian and Byzantine built environment and, in turn, how their own architectural and urban culture was enriched through this encounter. Situated at the intersection of a wide-ranging network extending from Italy and the Adriatic to Anatolia and the Black Sea, Crete offers a critical lens for understanding late seventeenth-century cross-cultural interactions in the Eastern Mediterranean. Tracing these dynamics deepens our understanding of the architectural, urban, and material culture of the region during this transformative period and reveals the foundations of the distinctive syncretism that would come to characterize the eighteenth century.