Page 191 - Çevre Şehir İklim İngilizce - Sayı 3

İbrahim Yenigün-Vildan Balcı-Abdullah Yenigün-Sinan Uyanık

These structures, which have a message for our time, demonstrate the
applicability of an aesthetic understanding compatible with nature in many
areas, from water gauges serving as pumps to reservoirs, from maksems
serving as tanks to taps, regardless of the purpose.

Protection of Historical Artifacts in the Ottoman’ Water Supply
Historical artifacts help to provide information about many features of
ancient civilizations from a social, cultural, and economic point of view.
Therefore, any trace that goes back to the way of life of historical societies
is a valuable information that needs to be protected. The Ottoman State,
which was the home of deep-rooted civilizations and embodied a lot of
historical information due to the different geographical regions it conquered,
attached great importance to the traces of the past and assigned officials to
protect the historical artifacts. In this regard, Chief Architect (Mimarbaşı) and
Imperial Architects (Hassa Mimarları) were responsible for the protection of
historical artifacts and maintenance and repair of waters. The Chief Architect
in charge also took part in the supervision of underground water channels,
ponds and sewers with the Water Superintendents. The Chief Architect
cooperated with the institutions, including the Water Superintendent and
the Water Staff Superintendent responsible for the protection of wells, and
approved the construction projects necessary for the water supply. As a
result of the supervision carried out by the Chief Architect, the structures that
could damage the architectural fabric of the city were not allowed, i.e. no
permit was issued for them. The approved projects were finally submitted to
Mayor (Şehremini) for approval, and implemented if deemed appropriate. For
example, this system was applied in determining the water conduit routes of
Halkalı and Kırkçeşme in 1847. This project intersected with the foundation
of the Darülfunun building, one of the most important buildings of the time,
and it was requested to change the route due to the possibility of damaging
the structure. Another case was experienced with Hagia Sophia, a historical
structure that still retains its importance today. As a result of the supervision
of the Chief Architect, it was requested that the construction of the water
gauge, which was first allowed to be built around the Hagia Sophia mosque,
be stopped as it may cause moisture on the walls in order to protect the
historical texture. As a result of these meticulously conducted supervisions,
the damage that may occur in the architectural texture of Hagia Sophia
Mosque, which was a great achievement in the conquest of İstanbul by Fatih
Sultan Mehmet Han and one of the symbolic structures of the conquest,
was prevented (Öztürk, 2007). As can be seen from the above examples,
the sensitivity towards historical buildings in the Ottoman state shows the
preservation of the architectural texture of the city and the availability of

176 Journal of Environment, Urbanization and Climate