I am a historian of Islam focusing on the Ottoman world in the 16th–18th centuries with a special interest greatly interested in Muslim belief and religious practice.

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I was lucky enough to be funded by the AHRC to undertake a PhD at the University of Cambridge on the hajj in the Ottoman world. In 1517, Mecca and Medina, along with the major routes to these Holy Cities, came under Ottoman control. I examined how pilgrims travelled and experienced the sacred space and ritual of the hajj following this change based on historical texts, objects, and images. I also explored the broader impact of the hajj on the confessional and devotional character of the Ottoman Empire. 

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I am continuing to research the practice of hajj in the Ottoman world of the 16th–18th centuries as an EC-funded postdoctoral fellow at Sabanci University (Istanbul). I am also researching restorations of the Ka'ba in the first century of Ottoman rule in Mecca, inspired by my interest in the history of Mecca and the city's evolution under Ottoman rule.

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Whether in my research or my public writing, I try to understand how Islam was, and continues to be, lived, embodied, and materialised. 

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While you are here, feel free to browse my blog posts, as well as anything else you find interesting!

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