Reflections of missionary in the ottoman empire on architecture: Missionary and non-Muslim schools within the scope of the post-Tanzimat central Turkey Mission

After the declaration of Tanzimat and Reform Edicts in Ottoman Empire, non-Muslim communities were allowed to open their schools. This arrangement also enabled foreign states to open educational institutions in Ottoman lands. The failure of the Ottomans to rapidly institutionalize its own modern schools paved the way for the spread of foreign schools and the missionary work carried out in these schools. Protestant American missionaries, who came to the fore in the 19th century, divided Anatolia into three different mission regions as Western, Eastern and Central Turkey. Central Turkey Mission, constitutes the main subject of this thesis, covers the provinces of Mersin, Adana, Kahramanmaraş, Gaziantep, Şanlıurfa, Osmaniye, Kilis and Hatay. Educational institutions established by the great world states within this region have been examined within the scope of art and architecture history. Also, since non-Muslim communities cannot be considered independently of this issue, minority schools within the region are included in study. In this research, missionary and non-Muslim community schools established in the Central Turkey area were evaluated by comparing them with the schools outside the study area. The schools had been determined some common features and differences in terms of location and architecture. It has been determined that foreign states have continued the architectural understanding of their own countries in Anatolia and also included some local elements in the school design. It is thought that this study, examines missionary and non-Muslim schools with the discipline of art and architectural history, will make important and original contributions to the literature.