Traces of the Ottoman Empire on the Walls of Jerusalem: The City Gates
Abstract
Jerusalem has been the centre of conquests, invasions, rebellions, conflicts or occupations throughout the ages. Since the material culture began to form, being a faith-cantered settlement and being the centre of conflict for different social dynamics has directly shaped the historical texture of the city. With the widespread acceptance of monotheistic religions, religious structures were included in the material culture environment, and the type of structures changed with the control of the city by different states. The idea of “faith” and “construction”, which are the basic driving points of historical periods, has progressed in the settlement with a complementary understanding. Religious structures, which are concrete extensions of faith, and their different derivatives have become an appearance that characterizes the spiritual atmosphere of the city on the one hand, and the areas where different social segments are separated on the other. The change in structures and architectures of faith throughout the historical process is undoubtedly a concrete result of the political instability of Jerusalem, one of the most important cities in the Middle East. The constant change of authority through invasions, occupations and conquests had also brought about changes in new construction projects. The old city, which remained under Roman rule for many years, gained new momentum in terms of construction activities and experienced a period of time in which various structures were built in addition to religious buildings. The conquest of Jerusalem by Muslims during the time of Hazrat Omar meant that not only the religious identity of the city but also the existing building styles changed. The fact that the Umayyads structured their construction activities around different structures, especially mosques, is quite remarkable in terms of reflecting their understanding of city development. The construction of some of the prominent structures of Islamic Art in Jerusalem began during this period. In the ancient city that remained at the centre of conflicts and public order problems, the Crusader Kingdom gave importance to the defence line, repaired various castles and carried out reinforcement works on the walls. The process that started with Saladin’s permanent conquest of Jerusalem evolved into a new era with permanent effects on both social dynamics and building inventory. The repairs, reinforcements and various structural designs for defensive purposes on the walls that Saladin carried out as one of his first works after capturing the city can also be interpreted as the result of a tension that emerged in the fate of the city. In Jerusalem, which was permanently incorporated into Islamic lands, the prominent structures of Turkish-Islamic architecture of different types were during the rule of the Mamluk State. The decorative elements of the Mamluk style, especially prominent in religious buildings, determined the aesthetic trajectory of permanent architectural works on the one hand, and on the other hand, provided a new face for Islamic architecture in the Middle East. The Ottoman State was the fundamental element in the change of face and the uninterrupted progress of its cultural environment. The Ottoman Empire, which held the city’s administration continuously from 1516 until the British occupation in 1917, initiated a series of construction activities that transformed Jerusalem into an Ottoman image in people’s minds. The construction projects, which began during the reign of Yavuz Sultan Selim Khan but reached their peak during the reign of Suleiman the Magnificent, enabled the city to both develop its Ottoman identity and become one of the most strategic settlement areas in the Middle East. Jerusalem’s central location, religious status and the integrated problem between different social dynamics have always paved the way for defensive structures to come to the fore. In other words, defensive structures have been one of the rare elements where different civilizations have come together around a common principle in terms of controlling the city and establishing a defensive line. Although this situation, which occurs within a wide range, has changed with the construction and design approach of different states, it is also understood that some structures or types of structures have always been interesting in every period. In this line extending from Rome to the Ottoman Empire, the city walls have become one of the issues that must be addressed firsthand for defence purposes. Throughout the historical process, the walls of the old city have sometimes been expanded, repaired from time to time, and sometimes it was aimed to turn them into a sustainable unit with passages opened on them.
Keywords
Kudüs Surlarında Osmanlı İzleri: Şehir Kapıları
Öz
Tarihin her döneminde Kudüs farklı dinlere ait bir inanç merkezi olmuş ve bu statüsü nedeniyle de çatışmaların, istilaların, işgallerin, isyanların ve fetihlerin merkezi hâline gelmiştir. Semavi dinlerin beşiği olan kadim şehri ele geçirme ve siyasi üstünlük elde etme çabası devletlerin temel itici gücünü oluşturmuştur. Yahudi, Hıristiyan ve Müslüman nüfusa ait yapıların bir arada bulunması şehrin dinî kimliği kadar somut kültürel mirasının da araştırılmasını zorunlu kılmıştır. Bu bağlamda farklı zaman dilimlerinde fetihler ya da istilalar sonucunda el değiştiren şehirdeki imar planları ve mimari kültür ortamı yaşanan gelişmelere bağlı olarak ilerlemiştir. Dinî yapılar başta olmak üzere sürekli değişim gösteren mimari kültürün diğer yapı türlerine kıyasla daha dar bir zeminde farklılık gösteren türlerinden biri de savunma amacı taşıyan yapılardır. Eski şehrin surları ve bu surlar üzerine açılan kapılar bir yandan zaman çizelgesindeki gelişimleri diğer yandan da güvenlik önlemlerinin somut yansımalarını göstermesi açısından dikkat çekmektedir. Biz de bu çalışmamızda Kudüs surlarının üzerinde yer alan ve Osmanlı hâkimiyeti döneminde açılan kapılardan “Bâbu’l-Amûd”, “Bâbü’s-Sâhire”, “Bâbu’l-Esbât”, “Bâbu’l-Meğâribe”, “Bâbu’n-Nebî Dâvûd”, “Bâbu’l-Halîl” ve “Bâb-ı Cedîd” üzerine odaklandık. Kimi zaman bağlı bulunduğu bölgeyi ya da alanı bir geçit şeklinde ayıran kimi zaman ise savunma yapısı olarak kullanılan kapıların, mimari ve süsleme özellikleri ile Türk-İslâm Sanatları açısından yerini belirlemek araştırmanın temel amacını oluşturmaktadır.
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