This research work tackles the strange contradiction between the political
history and the literary history of the Ottoman period.
In the first history, there is a general agreement about its end at the finish
of the First World War. In the second
, it is commonly held that is end is
with the Napolyonic campaign on Egypt in 179g, but some literary
historians did not agree; despite this they used the common belief
consequently, this work notes that this problem led to two dangerous
things: first, the misunderstanding and the underestimation of the
Ottoman literature in its important objective and artistic values.
After pointing to this problem, the work tries to trace the continued
Ottoman elements in the literature of the Renaissance period. It finds out
also that this period is so active with the Ottoman reign more than any
other period. This in its turn led to the conclusion that the movement of
the late Arab literature into modern Arab literature was gradual.
Accordingly, this research work considers the First World War as the end
of the Arab literature during the Ottoman period.
This research highlights the cultural life and thought in Damascus
in the last Ottoman rule. It brings into sight the historical dimension of
the city of Damascus which is considered one of the most important
cultural centers of knowledge in the A
rab east. It speaks also about the
importance of the mass knowledge means as printing, press and libraries
and their role in the flourishing of the cultural life and keeping the
cultural heritage in Damascus.
This research spotlights the cultural and the intellectual life in Jerusalem during the Ottoman Period and it emphasizes on the historical and the spatial aspect of the First Kiblah in order to remain alive in the Arabian intellect and the new genera
tion to recognize its ancient civilized history, cultural treasures and its contributions in the Arab and the Islamic civilization
