Stephan Weber -Damascus Ottoman Modernity and Urban Transformation. In the course of the industrial revolution in Europe new ideas, techniques, goods and architectural forms spread in Syria and challenged locally established patterns of urban and social organization. Still, Dama- scus never became a ”European city.” Instead, houses, public buildings and bazaars were modernized in ways particular to Damascus. The reader will be introduced into the rich legacy of Damascene public buildings and lavishly decorated courtyard houses. New forms of dwelling developed that corresponded to social chan- ges within families, while behaviours in newly-con- structed public areas, the adoption of different modes of dress, and the development of previously unknown interior designs mirrored the changing views of world, urban society and self. From a micro-historical ap- proach, this book unfolds spaces of everyday life of local actors during one of the most important turning points in the history of the Middle East.