Hans Theunissen is a University Lecturer at the Leiden University Institute for Area Studies.

More information about Hans Theunissen

Fields of interest

My fields of interest include (Ottoman) Turkish history and culture, and Islamic art and material culture. My research specialization lies in Ottoman Turkish art and material culture, in particular late Ottoman architecture and architectural decoration. My current research project focuses on late Ottoman architectural and interior decoration and studies religious wall paintings in relation to political and socio-cultural developments. The research combines fieldwork, and (art) historical analysis of both architecture, architectural and interior decoration, artifacts and texts and tries to contribute to a better understanding of the Late Ottoman cultural environment.

CV

Education
- PhD in Arabic, Persian and Turkish Languages and Cultures, Utrecht University (1991). 
- MA in Arabic, Persian and Turkish Languages and Cultures, Utrecht University (1984). 

Employment
- Lecturer in Turkish Studies/Islamic Art and Material Culture, Leiden University, 2006- 
- Lecturer in Turkish Studies, Utrecht University, 1984-2006.

Key publications

• Theunissen H.P.A. (2024), Fire and Water in Galata: A Concise History of the Charitable Works of Ottoman Customs Commissioner Hasan Ağa. Leiden: Independently Published.
• Theunissen H.P.A. (2023), Tekfur Sarayı: A History of an Ottoman Tile Workshop (c. 1719–52). Leiden: Indie Published.
• Theunissen H.P.A. (2016), War, Propaganda and Architecture: Cemal Pasha’s Restoration of Islamic Architecture in Damascus during World War I. In: Zürcher E.J. (Ed.) Jihad and Islam in World War I. Studies on the Ottoman Jihad on the Centenary of Snouck Hurgronje’s “Holy War Made in Germany". Leiden: Leiden University Press. 223–273.

Teaching

A range of courses in Ottoman-Turkish and modern Turkish history and culture, research seminars Turkish studies and Islamic art and material culture.

Publications