Honored by the Glory of Islam. Conversion and Conquest in Ottoman Europe

introduction 17

faith can be articulated and demonstrated. Either way, we witness the ultimate

transformation of sacred space as cityscapes refl ect the revival movement or

demographic change, and the sacred geography of the countryside is likewise

transformed. Throughout lands conquered, colonized, and ruled by Muslims,

the conversion of sacred space and the establishment of Muslim institutions

led to the conversion of the population, just as the conversion of the popula-

tion led to the transformation of holy sites.^32 Over time, churches, synagogues,

and fi re temples were destroyed or appropriated and converted into regular

and congregational mosques, shrines, and Sufi complexes to serve the needs

of and accommodate a population undergoing a radical change in religious

demography.^33

The layered history of transformed buildings and glorious new master-

pieces in turn become tools of proselytization, “theaters of conversion” that

set the stage for religious change.^34 The changed landscapes are readable to all

passersby as didactic instruments promoting conversion and communicating

its reward: divine favor. When a religious sanctuary or house of worship of one

religion is modifi ed to conform to the new religion of the convert, the preserv-

ing of the sanctity yet adaptive use of the same sacred space by the victorious

religion sends a message to those who formerly worshipped there: the sanctifi -

cation of the same site means holy space serves another belief system. If those

who venerate the familiar spot and have memories of praying there want to

continue revering older sacralities, they ostensibly have to do so in another

form. To facilitate conversion of others, the converters of a place may use “ex-

pedient selection,” choosing to emphasize, accommodate, and even repackage

those elements of belief and practices of their religion most resembling those

of the possessors of the former house of worship who offered rituals there.^35

Visitors may engage in similar rituals in the same place, but the converters’ aim

is for their hearts to eventually be changed.^36 This allows those whose buildings

were taken over to comprehend the new religion within the framework of their

own religion. The converters may expect some former accretions to continue

for a while, believing that after old locales and rituals are given new meaning

the new practices will eventually lead to the new beliefs wiping away the old.

Syncretism, the reconciling or fusing of diverse beliefs and practices, is not an

exchange between equals. It is usually a temporary phenomenon, for in the

end the religion with the most power behind it tends to subsume the other and

completely take over the sacred space.^37 To not claim already sanctioned sites

for the conquering religion is to allow echoes of the previous religion to remain

unmarked, its power unappropriated.^38

Conversion has intellectual and social contexts, and the transformation of

holy space by conquerors, rulers, and pietists causes us to also pay attention to