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Exemplary Civilization in Sustainable Water Management from
The Perspective of Environmental History: The Ottoman State

water channels, houses, etc. Hakk-ı mesil is one of the rights mentioned about
sewage (dirt). As far as the share of the dike among the easement rights is
concerned, the following three cases are mentioned;
• The cost of water from the public river, stream, creek, etc. is on the
state,
• The people who use the water in the regions where the streams are
divided into tributaries are responsible for repairing, maintaining
and repairing the water,

• The owners of usufruct rights should undertake the maintenance and
repair of the canals belonging to private waters (Akgündüz, 2000).
The protection of water resources was of the utmost importance in the
Ottoman state, as can be seen from the rulings and decisions. Even individuals
who had been in possession of the property for many years were subjected
to sanctions and penalties necessary to repair the damage caused. Apart
from this, it can be seen that various resolutions and rules were applied to the
construction of new water conduits, the extraction of water resources and the
methods of water supply (Uçar, 2017).
If the legal regulations of the Ottoman Empire are examined, the institutions
such as neighborhood imams, craftsmen’s chamberlains, foundations (waqfs),
etc. were held responsible for solving the problems related to water or
preventing the possible damages (Akgündüz, 2009). The Ottoman state’s
approach to solving the possible water problems by involving people from the
public is admirable. This integrated structure provides a different perspective
in solving today’s water problems, while also serving as an exemplary role
model in introducing responsible consumers into society.

The Importance of Water in Ottoman Architecture
The Ottoman Empire, which had a different vision based on faith in its time,
constructed architectural works in an order and harmony that is still impressive
today with unique features, despite the scarce opportunities of that time.
These works, which have survived to the present day, especially those related
to water, have a significant impact on calling it a “water civilization” (Urfalıoğlu,
2015). In particular, the charitable people who wanted to build dispensers and
fountains for charitable purposes and the importance that the state gave to
water supply resulted in architectural structures that were made with delicacy.
Various architectural structures such as dispensaries, cisterns, fountains, wells,
Turkish baths, fountains with reservoirs, aqueducts, reservoirs, etc., which
were constructed according to the needs, were addressed in all branches of
art, from literature to poetry, and influenced the emergence of “water culture”

Year 2 / Issue 3 / January 2023 173