Famines, Earthquakes, Plagues: Natural Disasters in Ottoman Syria in the Writings of Visitors

Makale İngilizce Tarih× Osmanlı×

Künye:

Yazarlar:

Yaron AYALON

Ekle

Emeği Geçenler:

Ekle

Yayın Yılı:

2008

Yayınlandığı Eser:

Osmanlı Araştırmaları Dergisi

Cilt:

Sayı:

Sayfa Aralığı:

223-248

İçerik Dosyası:

Web adresi:

http://www.isam.org.tr/documents/_dosyalar/_pdfler/osmanli_arastirmalari_dergisi/osmanl%C4%B1_sy32/2008_32_AYALONY.pdf

Operatör:

Melike Elif Acar

Güncelleyen:

Göktuğ Pek

Özet:

FAMINES,
EARTHQUAKES,
PLAGUES:
NATURAL
DISASTERS
IN
OTTOMAN
SYRIA
IN
THE
WRITINGS
OF
VISITORS
YaronAY
ALON*
In
an
article
on
medieval
hospitals,
Miri
Rubin
explained
that
documents
discussing
such
institutions
only
rarely
allow
one
a
peek
into
a
hospital's
day-to-:day
life.
The
historian
could
nonetheless
imagine
that
life
by
employing
fragments
of
testimonies
in
an
un~onventional
manner,
and
by
recognizing
the
'language'
of
hospitals
and
charity
prevailing
at
the
time.
1
The
problem
outlined
by
Rubin
exists
for
the
study
of
natural
disasters
in
the
Ottoman
Empire
as
well.
While
famines,
earthquakes,
and
plagues
are
sometimes
mentioned,
one
seldom
comes
across
evidence
on
the
influence
such
calamities
had
on
diurnal
experiences
of
the
inhabitants
of
cities.
And
following
Rubin's
suggestion,
one
can
combine
an
array
of
sources
to
reconstruct
them.
This
study
will
deal
with
one
type
of
sources
-
works
and
documents
by
visitors
-
and
its
unique
contribution
to
the
understanding
of
the
social
implications
of
natural
disasters.
I
chose
to
focus
on
Syria,
one
of
the
least
studied
areas
of
the
Ottoman
Empire.

FAMINES, 
EARTHQUAKES, 
PLAGUES: 
NATURAL 
DISASTERS 
IN 
OTTOMAN 
SYRIA 
IN 
THE 
WRITINGS 
OF 
VISITORS 
YaronAY 
ALON* 
In 
an 
article 
on 
medieval 
hospitals, 
Miri 
Rubin 
explained 
that 
documents 
discussing 
such 
institutions 
only 
rarely 
allow 
one 
a 
peek 
into 
a 
hospital's 
day-to-:day 
life. 
The 
historian 
could 
nonetheless 
imagine 
that 
life 
by 
employing 
fragments 
of 
testimonies 
in 
an 
un~onventional 
manner, 
and 
by 
recognizing 
the 
'language' 
of 
hospitals 
and 
charity 
prevailing 
at 
the 
time.
1 
The 
problem 
outlined 
by 
Rubin 
exists 
for 
the 
study 
of 
natural 
disasters 
in 
the 
Ottoman 
Empire 
as 
well. 
While 
famines, 
earthquakes, 
and 
plagues 
are 
sometimes 
mentioned, 
one 
seldom 
comes 
across 
evidence 
on 
the 
influence 
such 
calamities 
had 
on 
diurnal 
experiences 
of 
the 
inhabitants 
of 
cities. 
And 
following 
Rubin's 
suggestion, 
one 
can 
combine 
an 
array 
of 
sources 
to 
reconstruct 
them. 
This 
study 
will 
deal 
with 
one 
type 
of 
sources 
-
works 
and 
documents 
by 
visitors 
-
and 
its 
unique 
contribution 
to 
the 
understanding 
of 
the 
social 
implications 
of 
natural 
disasters. 
I 
chose 
to 
focus 
on 
Syria, 
one 
of 
the 
least 
studied 
areas 
of 
the 
Ottoman 
Empire.