Investigation of Ottoman period fountains in Izmir/Çeşme for their preservation

Abstract

Construction of waterways in Anatolia dates back to the 11th century. Especially from the 16th century, the construction of water engineering structures increased rapidly The most prominent structures are seen in İstanbul which was the capital of the Ottoman Empire. Fountains being the final portion of these huge works embellished the towns and supplied inhabitants with clean and running potable water, which is important in Islam. In this respect, the town of Çeşme had plenty of fountains in the past likely took its name from the fountain called çeşme in Turkish. However, the number of existing fountains does not reflect the richness in the past. The study aimed at an intensive inventory for the existing historic fountains. Those existing, but unknown, and those missing already but known by their names and approximate locations were deciphered. In addition to the detailed documentation, the evaluation of the alterations that the fountains have undergone for years, a guideline for their preservation are also presented. The fountains that are studied, but not listed in the architectural heritage list of Çeşme are also proposed to be listed.