STICHTING SULTANS TRAIL A EUROPEAN CULTURAL ROUTE

Call for Papers

First Sultans Trail Conference

Carski Drum Tsarigradksi Put
Common Cultural Heritage in the Past and Today January 30 - February 3, 2013, Novi Sad (Vojvodina, Serbia) Osijek (Croatia)
The Sultans Trail Foundation is pleased to announce the First Symposium On The Historical Route from Vienna to Istanbul, a multidisciplinary conference held from January 30 until February 4, 2013 in Novi Sad and Osijek.

Sultans Trail: Path of Peace

A new, historical long distance hiking trail from Vienna to Istanbul The Sultans Trail is an ancient Roman Ottoman road from Vienna to Istanbul symbolizing ages of relations between East and West. The path owes its name to Sleyman Kanuni, sultan of the Ottoman Empire, who made the trip from Istanbul to Vienna for the first time in 1529, and then again in 1532, both times famously failing to penetrate the city of Vienna. He finally died on this very road in 1566, during his last field trip to Szigetvar. Part of his body was buried there. Recognizing the Ottoman leaders role in connecting East and West, the Sultans Trail is an homage to the great sultan Sleyman. Almost 500 years later, the Sultans Trail has gained renewed relevance as an important link between East and West, in the light of the European Unions recent and future eastward expansion. It directly connects Member States with candidate states, building on ages of cross-fertilization and a shared cultural heritage dating back to the old Ottoman days. Unlike then, the Sultans Trail nowadays constitutes a path of peace, a meeting place for people of all faiths and cultures. The trail starts at the Stephans Dom in the centre of Vienna. The clocks of this church are made of the remelted Ottoman canons. The path passes through Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, Croatia, Serbia and Bulgaria and ends at the tomb of the Sultan, behind the Sleymaniye mosque, in Istanbul, Turkey. In addition to its historical and symbolic significance, the Sultans Trail also holds great economic potential. Often passing through secluded, rural areas, the exploitation of the path can contribute greatly to the opening up of such underdeveloped regions through the direct support of the host communities. The Sultans Trail Foundation builds on interregional and transnational cooperation in its aim to boost the development of the tourist sectors of the host countries. The emphasis herein will be on stimulating job creation combined with a limited impact on the local environment and culture. Since walking is the most natural form of moving over the planet, the Sultans Trail provides an opportunity par excellence for the development of sustainable tourism.
St. Sultans Trail A European Cultural Route Hagestraat 10, 2011 CV Haarlem, The Netherlands Triodos Bank: 254640060 IBAN: NL60 TRIO 0254 6400 60 BIC: TRIONL2U www.sultanstrail.com e-mail: info@sultanstrail.com Tel: +31 23 7070047 Cell phone: +31 650 890 696 Chamber of Commerce: 54257662 btw nr. NL. 851231007 B01

STICHTING SULTANS TRAIL A EUROPEAN CULTURAL ROUTE While the Sultans Trail partly uses existing European long distance paths, including parts of the E8 and the Danube cycling path, other parts of the trail still have to be developed. The recently established NGO Sultans Trail Foundation, based in the Netherlands, has taken the lead in this, setting out the path and developing a network of accommodations along the route, in private houses, lodges and hotels. Numerous experienced long distance hikers have already explored parts of the Sultans Trail between 2009 and 2012. They share the same opinion: "It was sometimes pioneering but the experience was full of authenticity. The many natural and historical highlights, the varied landscape and the hospitality of the local people contributed greatly to this experience."

Academic Network
In line with the routes historical significance as a link between various cultures and peoples from East and West, The Sultans Trail Foundation seeks to develop an international network of the same designation. A number of scholars from a wide variety of countries have already made a start in this, shedding new light on and thereby boosting the debate on the historical, cultural, political and socioeconomic significance of the Sultans Trail. To be involved in this scientific network means taking part in permanent international relations between experts from a wide range of fields, i.e. in the exchange of ideas, the launch of joint scientific projects, the exchange of master and doctoral students, the development of study programmes, and the publication of joint works. The conference brings together scholars (wishing to be) involved in this dense scientific network in order for them to directly exchange ideas. The aim of the conference is to create a platform for historians, art historians, and literary critics to share their studies on textual and visual representations of the Sultans Trail, the Via Militaris between 1,000 BC and present day. By investigating the medieval, early modern and modern Sultans Trail in text and images, the conference will serve as an opportunity for an interdisciplinary dialogue among the participants, with the hope of broadening perspectives on the Sultans Trails cultural and material legacy. In addition to the anticipated papers relating to art, architecture and history of medieval (Roman and Byzantine) and Ottoman, and modern route, the conference organizers would also be keen to include scholars who can explore the following fields of study: music on the Sultans Trail, pilgrims accounts, diplomats accounts, cartography, prints and paintings, numismatics, tombstones, heraldry, Roman and Ottoman itineraries, historic photographs, archaeological excavations.

St. Sultans Trail A European Cultural Route Hagestraat 10, 2011 CV Haarlem, The Netherlands Triodos Bank: 254640060 IBAN: NL60 TRIO 0254 6400 60 BIC: TRIONL2U www.sultanstrail.com e-mail: info@sultanstrail.com Tel: +31 23 7070047 Cell phone: +31 650 890 696 Chamber of Commerce: 54257662 btw nr. NL. 851231007 B01

STICHTING SULTANS TRAIL A EUROPEAN CULTURAL ROUTE

Participation
Those wishing to participate should contact the conference organizers as soon as possible to register interest. Abstracts of 200 - 250 words should be sent via e-mail by October 31. On November 15, successful candidates will be notified. Specific, thematically aligned papers will also be selected for an edited book of the same name. Limited travel bursaries are available for participants without a university affiliation. Submission Modalities Proposals for papers should not exceed 500 words and must include the following: Title of the paper; Author; Affiliation CV with publications Abstract; Materials and methods used;

Please send your proposals to: mehmet@sultanstrail.com Deadline for proposals: 30 October 2012 Announcement of the selected proposals: 15 November 2012 Coordination and selection of papers: Mehmet Tutuncu (mehmet@sultanstrail.com ) Organization and coordination: Lisanne Post ( lisanne@sultanstrail.com )

Calendar of Events
January 30 Arrival in Novi Sad January 31 Registration, Opening Ceremony, Sessions, Banquet February 1 Transport to Osijek Sessions, Banquet February 2 Closing Ceremony, Cultural Programme, Excursion February 4 Departure from Osijek
For more information please visit the website of the Sultans Trail Foundation:

www.sultanstrail.com www.sultanstrail.eu

St. Sultans Trail A European Cultural Route Hagestraat 10, 2011 CV Haarlem, The Netherlands Triodos Bank: 254640060 IBAN: NL60 TRIO 0254 6400 60 BIC: TRIONL2U www.sultanstrail.com e-mail: info@sultanstrail.com Tel: +31 23 7070047 Cell phone: +31 650 890 696 Chamber of Commerce: 54257662 btw nr. NL. 851231007 B01