Documents in the Ottoman archive about the restoration of mosques and tombs in İstanbul

ABSTRACT In the history of Turkish Architecture, restoration activities are one of the subjects that must be focused on, as well as constructive activities. Some of the mosques and tombs, which form the main subject of the study, were devoted after being built by the pillars of the state. The buildings which were damaged by occasional fires or earthquakes were either restored or renovated. Istanbul, which one of the most beautiful cities in the world, has witnessed a great development as regards being the center of the Ottoman Empire for 469 years, besides the special privilage and interest bestowed on it by its strategical position and its historical identity. Therefore, during the reign of the state it both preserved its characteristic of being the biggest city of the Empire and was decorated with monumental mosques, palaces, mansions, elegant houses, inns, baths, soup-kitchens for the poor and medresses(schools) and some other works of art. The buildings of Istanbul, most of which are masterpieces, have been seriously damaged by frequent fires occasional natural diasters. One of the reasons of the damage is the wooden structure which form the basis of construction. In the spite of this, except for the buildings such as mosques, medresses, baths, houses, mansions and some small mosques were built of wood. Fires and natural diasters not only destroyed thousands of buildings in Istanbul, but also caused a change in the original form of most of the works of art which are present today. Some of the documents and logs about the mosques and tombs which were damaged or which needed repair because of various reasons are in the Ottoman Archive of the Prime Ministry of the Turkish Republic. Due to the abundance of documents on the restoration of mosques and tombs, the subject of the study has been limited with the works of art constructed in Istanbul by the Ottoman Dynasty and the Grand Viziers. The documents and the logs present were rewritten in the Latin alphabet and classified. In this classification, the criteria as to whom building the belonged to, where it was, the names of the places which needed restoration, the necessary equipment, the cost and from which budget it would be met were taken into consideration.