Page 193 - Çevre Şehir İklim İngilizce - Sayı 3

İbrahim Yenigün-Vildan Balcı-Abdullah Yenigün-Sinan Uyanık

to use the water belonging to the foundation, even if they were managers,
to use it, as in the above-mentioned judgment, and that it also carried out
supervision in this regard. In this context, the protection of waters through the
application of the necessary legal system constitutes an exemplary practice.

Conclusion
Water, the indispensable source of all living life, is one of the most important
aspects, especially in the continuation of human life. In particular, the fact that
water is not equally distributed on the planet for all humanity has increased the
desire to live in areas near water. The religious, social, cultural and economic
impact of water, which has played a decisive role in human life, has also
led to the emergence of water cultures belonging to different civilizations.
The cultural richness displayed in this regard has been considered as a
consequence of the level of development of the countries and has resulted in
calling these civilizations as “water civilization”. The Ottoman state is the one
among these civilizations which had rich knowledge and embodied different
beliefs and cultures in the wide geographies with the conquests.
The Ottoman Empire, which adopted a concept of civilization based on
faith, considered water as a “trust” and was admired for its exemplary practices
taking into account the conditions of the time. In this context, if we examine
the exemplary role models of the Ottoman state as a water civilization,
which constitute the main axis of the study according to the sources, we can
see that they were supported by a legal system built on solid foundations.
Moreover, the continuation of the established supremacy was not ignored
and great care and effort were made at least for the sake of its sustainability,
as it was also shown in ensuring this success. In this context, especially the fair
distribution of water resources, the meticulous approach to maintenance and
repair appear as a manifestation of the concept of “trust”. It can be seen that
the foundation waters are actively involved in this regard, charitable practices
found a place even in the notes of European travelers of the period. It is
revealed that the Ottoman state is an exemplary role model in the following
aspects such as organizational structure in responding to fire, changing
waterway routes as a result of sensitivity to historical monuments, architectural
structures with an aesthetic perception compatible with nature, and important
studies conducted in many other areas, along with the examples mentioned
in the judgments and records, as a result of the studies. In this context, a more
detailed study of a certain number of topics will offer significant achievements
in approaching the current water problems from a different perspective.

178 Journal of Environment, Urbanization and Climate