Great Fire of 1660
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Two thirds of Istanbul was destroyed in the Great Fire of 1660. The chronicler Abdi Paşa estimated that the fire destroyed 280,000 houses and burned for approximately forty-nine hours.
During the reconstruction of Istanbul, the Ottomans enacted unprecedented policies concerning Christian and Jewish houses of worship. In previous periods, the Ottomans had usually allowed the rebuilding of churches and synagogues. However, in this period they applied Islamic laws prohibiting reconstruction.
Background
On July 24, 1660, there was a great fire in Istanbul. It destroyed two thirds of the city. Seven synagugues and at least 25 churches burned to the ground.[1] Contemporary sources have written that thousands of homes were caught in the blaze. The fire began west of Eminönü and destroyed densely populated neighborhoods with old-fashioned wooden homes. Abdi Paşa tells us that the fire "marched across the city like an invading army." [2] Contemporary sources estimate that 280,000 homes were destroyed and 40,000 lives were lost in the conflagration.[3]
Aftermath
For Muslims, Islamization was a visible sign of dynastic power. Imperial mosques marked the boundaries of Ottoman territory and supported political and hegemonic interests. .[4] The fire presented an opportunity for the government to pursue Islamization of the city. When the government began to rebuild the city a ban was issued forbidding the reconstruction of churches and synagogues.[3]
The young Grand Vizier Köprülü Fazıl Ahmed invited the Kadizadeli preacher Vani Mehmet Efendi to Istanbul. Upon Vani's advice, the sultan forbade consumption of tobacco, coffee and alcohol and insisted on strict enforcement of Islamic law. He destroyed Sufi tombs and either exiled or executed Sufi leaders.[5]
Vani claimed that the disproportionate destruction of Jewish property in the Great Fire was a sign of divine displeasure. He supported legislation barring them from returning to the area. Köprülü Fazıl Ahmed confiscated all the lands where synagogues had stood and auctioned them. Non-Muslims were forbidden from bidding on the properties.[6] Turhan Sultan sponsored the construction of the New Mosque in the area. It opened in 1665 and Vani Mehmet Efendi became its first preacher.[6]
After a time, Christians were allowed to buy back the land where churches had stood and rebuild them. The rebuilt churches were officially listed as residential buildings. [3]
Notes
- ↑ Parker 2013, p. 204.
- ↑ David Baer 2004, p. 159-160.
- 1 2 3 Zdanowski 2014, p. 239.
- ↑ David Baer 2008.
- ↑ Parker 2013, p. 204-205.
- 1 2 Parker 2013, p. 205.
Bibliography
- David Baer, Marc (2004). "The Great Fire of 1660 and the Islamization of Christian and Jewish Space in Istanbul". 'International Journal of Middle Eastern Studies'. 36: 159.181.
- David Baer, Marc (2011). Honored by the Glory of Islam: Conversion and Conquest in Ottoman Empire. Oxford University Press.
- Parker, Geoffrey (2014). Global Crisis: War, Climate Change and Catastrophe in the Seventeenth Century. Yale University Press.
- Zdanowski, Jerzy (2014). Middle Eastern Societies in the 20th Century. Cambridge Scholars Publishing.