Suya İşlenen Edebiyat: Kanunî Sultan Süleyman’ın Su Vakfiyesi Örneği

Abstract

The charitable allocation of a property or income to a foundation in the form of a trust dates to the first years of Islam. This foundation tradition influenced Islamic regimes intensely and continued in the Ottoman Empire, where it always retained a special place. In the 16th century (December 24–31, 1565), Sultan Suleiman established a foundation for water in the Ottoman Empire that was named after him. The charter for this organization, called a vakfiye or vakifnâme, is the main subject in this study. Words, expressions, descriptions and imagery, compliments, metaphors, etc., all of which pertain to water, are present in the vakfiye text. These can be taken as evidence of how water culture emerged and lived in social memory and of the direction in which it developed. The main purpose of this article is to describe how water imagery reflects both language and culture. Accordingly, numerous references to water in the subject matter of the study are examined, for example: ocean, sea, river, fountain, rain, April rain, spring water, pure water, rain drop, heavenly waters, River of Kagithane, water of life etc. Some relevant architectural terms are also considered; water arch, bridge, bath, haunch, public fountain, fountain, and pool.