Realising its demise in the age of European imperialism and colonialism, the Ottoman dynasty set out to reinvent itself. Caught between the West and their Eastern heritage, redefining its identity and what it means to be Ottoman in a modernised context without compromising its cultural characteristics became an imperial priority. When a state in decline acknowledges its weakness against its foes, it often resorts to mimicry. Inspired by the Qur’anic verse (7:34): "For each community there is an appointed term. When their time arrives, they can neither delay it for a moment, nor could they advance it", the medieval Muslim historian Ibn Khaldun’s (1332-1406) theories on cyclical history and imitation are useful for analysis.

Furthermore, not only did cultural mimicry occurred as civilisations declined, but there was always a desire to imitate the ‘Other’ from a position of power. Europeans began imitating Ottoman visual culture since the 16th century and this practise persisted into the 18th century, when Europe gained technological superiority.

Source:

M. Mustafa, Oriental Imaginings, Occidental Refashioning: Turquerie, the Tulip Age, and Ottoman Modernity, 1683-1867 (Sydney: Centre for Ottoman Renaissance and Civilisation, 2023), 5-12.