Biretü'l-Fırat (Birecik) district foundations according to Hurufat Books

Since water has been at the forefront of people's basic needs throughout history, human beings have always preferred places with wetlands when determining an area for settlement. Since Birecik has a structure and geography that fits this definition, it has hosted many civilizations throughout history. The city had remained under the rule of the Hittite, Assyrian, Hurrian, Mitanni, Roman, Umayyad, Byzantine, Seljuk, County of Edessa, Zengid, Artuqid, Timurid, Aq Qoyunlu, and Mameluke states until it joined the administration of the Ottoman State. The fact that the Ottoman State built a shipyard in the city after taking control of the region made Birecik an important center. Having maintained this importance for a long time, the city lost its importance due to the Istanbul-Baghdad railway crossing south of Birecik, the trade of caravan losing its importance, and the reasons that emerged during and after the World War I. The Ottoman State constructed structures and institutions such as mosques, masjids, madrasahs, inns, Turkish baths, and lodges by means of foundations in the places under its control. Some information about these structures can be found in the Hurufat Books. 25 of these books kept at the General Directorate of Foundations are related to Birecik. Since the city was called Biretu'l-Firat during the Ottoman period, the records about it were recorded under this name. Although these records belong to a 144-year period covering between 1691-1835, the documents are predominantly from the 18th century. The gates of the city in the status of a district, neighborhoods, townships, villages, foundations in the city, the officials of these foundations, and their wages were tried to be determined by examining these books. These data were supported using archive documents and the previous works on the district. It was also stated whether these foundations still exist today.