The Mediterranean Zeitgeist

The accomplishments of the civilisation of early modern Europe is inconceivable without the achievements of medieval Islam and the Ottoman Empire. It is most pertinent that historians explore the notion of cultural enlightenment in the early modern period from an inclusive paradigm - one that unites rather than erect barriers across civilisations. Exploring the notion of the Mediterranean zeitgeist from a culturally inclusive perspective widens our scope of understanding of the meaningful practices that is specific to a particular historical time-period. These meaningful practices, including architectural accomplishments, hybrid objects of cultural materialism, and the iconography of public ceremonials by the ruling elite, most often include recurring symbolic structures that underpin the idea of the Mediterranean zeitgeist. These recurring symbolisms in early modern Europe and the Ottoman Empire respectively underscore the human, cultural and intellectual phenomena that