Since 2017, the University of Houston has been home to the AAEF Annual Lecture in Ottoman History. This public lecture series was launched to promote critical discussions on contemporary Ottoman Studies while educating the broader Houston community in Ottoman history. As an empire that stretched from Algiers to Buda and Basra at its peak and lasted for over six centuries, this annual lecture series brings leading figures across multiple geographic regions and specialties to Houston to showcase the latest interdisciplinary research in the field of Ottoman Studies. 

The annual AAEF Lecture in Ottoman History series is run by Dr. Cihan Yüksel (2022-23 AAEF-CAS Acting Director) through the support of the AAEF Center for Arab Studies at the University of Houston. 

Past Lectures: 

2023: "From Adam to Murad: Universal History Through Ottoman Eyes" delivered by Dr. Emine Fetvacı (Boston College)

2022: “Ottoman Culture and the Growth of Civility, c. 1600-1800” delivered by Dr. James Grehan (Portland State University)

2020: “Vampire Trouble is More Serious than the Mighty Plague: A Comparative Look at the History of Evil and Mischief, Inspired by Evliya Çelebi (1611-ca. 1684)” delivered by Dr. Cemal Kafadar (Harvard University)

2019: “A Poetics for the Empire: The Function of Poetry Among the Ottoman Elite” delivered by Dr. Selim Kuru (University of Washington)

2017: “The Ottoman Chief Harem Eunuch and the Arab Lands” delivered by Dr. Jane Hathaway (Ohio State University)