Ottoman fountains in Lesbos Island

Even though in Anatolia, the first samples of fountain architecture were dated in the 8th-9th centuries, the first structures of the fountains are known from the Artuqid dynasty (Artuqid period) in Turkish culture. The fountain structures have shown a great impact in the Ottoman era. They have been constructed all over the territories. As a significant example, approximately 450 years, Lesbos Island (also known as Mitilini) was one of the important dependencies of the Ottoman Empire and it presents very important examples of fountain architecture. In terms of the geographical proximity and historical background, Lesbos Island and Turkey demonstrate great integrity. In the light of these frameworks, our study concentrates on the fountain structures in the Lesbos Island. The analysis of these fountains is our first aim. The obtained results will provide an important contribution to the analysis collection. In Lesbos Island, 43 fountains were documented and analyzed, which were built in the Ottoman era. Twenty-three of the analyzed samples presents epitaphs, while the other 20 samples do not (ruined or removed). One of the fountains with an epitaph is dated early periods of the 18th century. Additionally, the latest one was built at the begging of the 20th century. Even though the fountains have been built in the classical framework, the Wester Art techniques and styles can be observed from some of the samples. The public fountains not only present the materialistic expression of ritualistic behavior in Turkish architecture but also contribute to Lesbos Island concerning the social and cultural perspectives, as in Anatolia.