ORTADOGU'da OSMANLI DÖNEMİ KÜLTÜR İZLERİ ULUSLAR ARASI BİLGİ Şöleni Bildirileri
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ORTADOGU'DA OSMANLI DÖNEMİ KÜLTÜR İZLERİ ULUSLAR ARASI BİLGİ ŞÖLENi BiLDİRİLERi PAPERS SUBMITTED TO INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON OTTOMAN HERJTAGE IN THE MIDDLE EAST 25-27 Ekim 1 October 1 2000, Hatay 28 Ekim 1 October 1 2000, İskend~run Jt;\ J~ 4ill..l\ ~j.i.l\ ~ j~\ hwıj'ı\ J~\ ~ ~\.i:il\ ~~\ ~\ CİLT I 1 VOLTIME I Yayın Koordinatörü 1 Puplication Coardinator İmranBABA Yayma Hazırlama ve Redaksiyon 1 Prepearing Publication and Reduction by Şebnem ERCEBECİ- Aysu ŞİMŞEK-CANPOLAT ~türk Kültür Merkezi Başkanlığı Yayınlan Publication of Atatürk Culture Center Ortadoğu'da Osmanlı Dönemi Kültür izleri Uluslar Arası Bilgi Şöleni= ~temational Symposium on Ottoman Heritage in the Middle East (2000: Hatay, ıskenderun) Ortadoğu'~a Osmanlı dönemi kültür izleri uluslar arası bilgi şöleni, Hatay, 25-27 Ekim 2000; ıskenderun, 28 Ekim 2000: biluirile(:- yay.haz.: Şebnem Ercebeci, Aysu Şimşek- Canpolat; çev.: Berin U. Yurdadağ, Adem Akın, Nurçin Yıldız. Ankara: AYK Atatürk Kültür Merkezi Başkanlığı, 2001 . 2c. :res.; 27cm. (Atatürk Yüksek Kurumu Atatürk Kültür Merkezi yayını sayı: 284 - 285; Kongre ve sempozyumlar dizisi: 22) ISBN: 975-16-1560-7 Tk. 1. MİMARİ, OSMANLI-ORTADOGU-KONGRELER, V.B. l.E.a. Il. Ercebeci, Şebnem, yay.hl!Z. III.Şimşek-Canpolat, Aysu, yay.haz. IV. Yurdadağ, Berin U., çev. V. Akın, Adem, çev. IV. Yıldız Nurçin, çev. VII. Seri 720-596 Bu eserin basımı Türk Tanıtma Fonu'nun katkılarıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. THE IDJAZ RAILROAD LINE ON THE DARB Ai BAJJ AL SBAMI "THE LAST OF THE SUBLIME REGIONAL MUSLIM ENDEAVORS" Dr. R ami Farouk DAHER* I. R ationales for R esearching the Recent Past architecture. Jordan heritage extends to the ordinary (Ottoman Legacy and Heritage in the Middle dwellings of peasan ts and urban dwellers, to the East) cultural landscapes of rural Jordan, and to the 1.1. Wby Study Ottoman H eritage? Ottoman infrastructure of the pilgrimage forts and later the stations of the significant Hijaz Railroad (The Contested Past and the Meaning of Line. The Ottoman history of Jordan has been Legacy) subject to several superficial endeavors attempting New paradigm shifts in the study of cultural to disregard its significance for the formatian of the change view culture asa phenomenon constantly in Modem S ta te ofJordan main Iy because ofideological deveiopment. Culture is a dynamic concept and differeuces between such a contested past and the when forced in to a s ta tic existence, it w ili cease to dogma of contemporary Ara b Nationalism. This is be the source ofinspiration. Looking at the political, most unfortunate, since the contribution of the social, and economic dimensions of cultural change, Ottoman era, present in its public works and and lıow it affects the quality of spatial form is of infrastructure; architectural heritage, administrative crucial importance for a better understanding of and institutional legacy, is of ultimate im portance lıeritage conservation movements in any geographic for Jordanian andMuslimsat large. It represents a and political context. Jordan has gone through missing link, a pivot point that links o.ur distant past several phases ofevolution encompassing prehistoric, with our contemporary reality. The Ottoman Iegacy in Jordan, as well as in the rest of the Muslim World ancient, classical, early Islamic, Medieval, Mamluk, ' Ottoman, and contemporary periods. This wide is wortlı a second reading, a re-evaluation, and a spectrum of histarical periods has generated a wide value-free assessment set away from any range of cultural heritage of diverse types, time preconceived Euro-centric representations ofhistory frames and natures. or a bana! dogrna of nationalism. The cultural heritage ofJordan is not limited to The Ottoman architectural heritage in the Middle Classical or Early lslamic resources such as Petra, East is characterized by a harmonious unity while Jerash, Qusair Amra, or even the Crusader Castles. accommodating a regional diversity and variety. An Contrary to comman believes, the cultural heritage Ottoman mosque built in Damascus is certainly ofJ ordan also includes resources from recent periods different than aoother one bui lt in Jedda or in Tuois ofJordan 's history and is not restricted tomonumental for example. Such differences are because of • Jordao University ofScieoce and Technology (JUST), lrbid/JORDANIÜRDÜN. 1 190 RAM! FAROUK DAHER Ottoman tolerance ofregional differences within the Zobia, Hartha, Mkeis, Ma'an, and Kerak, just to vast Ottoman Empire. Such diverse architectural mention a few. heritage nega tes a European representation of the What escalates the situation is that Jordan is Ottoman legacy labeling it as imperial, this creating rapidly loosing a great part of its heritage dating to a link with Roman imperialism. The Ottoman that era due to development, demalition in the name architectural heritage in Jordan is very diverse, it of progress, vandalism, and mis use. According to includes not only vernacular villages, houses, and Khammash (1 986) Jordanian villages and towns are palaces; but it eıı:tends to water infrastructure, forts, laosing most oftheir historic fabrics to development hospitals, schools, strain stations, bridges, and many plans and zoning ordinances. Many public buildings severalpublic works that testifies to the Ottoman as traditional structures (e.g., traditional mosques public responsibility towards an evolving region, and town or viiiage squares) are hard to find in that is Jordan. The Jordanian Ottoman architectural Jordanian villages. Unfortunately, the cultural heritage shapes and formulated tlıe urban and rural landscape of Jordan is changing into a faceless and face of Jordan during a period so crucial to the characterless entity. This forgotten era, if well formatian of Jordanian identity. researched and conserved for future generations, can The last 500 years of Jordan's history are not play an important role in linking Jordan's distant well-represented in research endeavors and projects. past with its modern and contemporary history. Eve n thought the 171h, 181h, and 19th centuries are No clear definition exists of histarical and of ultimate im~ortance to Jordan; this period of cultural resources in Jordan today. In fact, post- history has started, only recently, to attract the 1700 AD histarical and cultural resources are not attention of researchers, previous emphasis was even protected by law (remnant of British Antiquities mainly on ancient, Classical, and early lslaınic Law that was implemented in the country in the first periods. Abu Jaber ( 1989, 24-27) ad d ed that half of the 20th century), and have been plagued by "information available to us about the course of widespread destruction, vandalism, and neglect. events and the way of life during the first three The management of cultural resources has alsa, only centuries of Ottoınan rule in Transjordan is rather recently, been integrated into the scope ofmunicipal scarce." In addition, research ofthis era is limited planning practice. Many historic city cores and only to analysis ofbuilding types within a specific viiiage centers in Jordan were victims of insensitive area, most commonly in rural context. Such studies planning schemes and zoning ordinances during the rarely investigate public buildings and urban centers, last couple of years. Road networks were la id out as their concern is anthropological, relating to the without proper consideration of existing histari c inhabitants and their way of life (Kan'an 1993). fabrics, demalition ofhisto.ric cores was carried out Abu Jaber (1989) added that there is a need for in the name of progress and modemity, the historic exhaustive research about that forgotten era of cores of Irbid, Ajlun and Ma'an coıne to mind. Jordan's history, that should depend not only on the architecture and physical remains of the past, but Developing a critica! understanding of the also on ·intensive archival research in Damascus, Ottoman heritage in Jordan should form the first Jerusalem, Nablus, Beirut, Tripoli, Istanbul, and step in its conservation and continuity for future Amman. Very famous Ottoman archives from that geuerations and for the well being of the Muslim period include the Daftari Mufassal Jadid (New Jordanian community. The purpose of this paper is Detailed Register) of the sixteentlı century and the to investigate the arclıitecture, iropact, and Salname (Official Yearbook) of the l91h century. signifıcance of the Hijaz Railroad Line in Jordan, This kind of research is supposed to shed light on envisioned, designed, and built during the reigrı of the lives of Jordanians in forgotten urban and viUage Sultan Abd u! Hami d II, one of the last Ottoman centers such as Ajlun, Muzayrib, Tibneh, Samad, Sultans of the Ottoroan Empire at the turn of the THE HIJAZ RAILROAD LINE ON THE DARB AL HJ\JJ ALSHAMI 191 20tlı century. The paper will only attempt to raise complenıenl it and transform it to a di ITcrent !eve!. potential investigative issues rather than presenting Thereforc, the researchcr relcrrcd to the works of a detailed descriptive nan·ative of the Line and i ts Ottoman historians who, theınsclves, have alrcady history. Each of the ra ised issues can become the referred to extensive Ottoman archival resources subject of a new critical investigation. ( e.g., Salnamat (annual Ottoman books of various affairs), Muhimme Defteri (register of iınportant 1.2. Methodological Approachcs affairs, travel accounts, diaries. other). The rese1rcher It has been stated earlier that researchers are depended mainly on the works of Suraiya