An Example for Ottoman Civil Engineering: Kos Port Studies (1850-1909) Cover Image

Osmanlı İnşaat Mühendisliğine Bir Örnek: İstanköy Limanı Çalışmaları (1850-1909)
An Example for Ottoman Civil Engineering: Kos Port Studies (1850-1909)

Author(s): Arzu Baykara Taşkaya
Subject(s): Economic history, 19th Century, Pre-WW I & WW I (1900 -1919), The Ottoman Empire
Published by: Serkan YAZICI
Keywords: Kos Port; Cleaning and Arrangement Studies at Port; İmperial Shipyard; Greek Masters; Economy;

Summary/Abstract: Kos Island, located In The Eyalet Of The Archipelago (Eyālet-i Cezāyir-i Baḥr-i Sefīd in Ottoman Turkish) (, was connected to Rhodes for a while and later to Chios and is one of the largest of the twelve islands. Arranging the operation of all ports in the province and constructing docks were considered very important in terms of the functioning of the commercial structure. The ports of many islands in the Aegean Islands faced the danger of being filled; the ports of the islands such as Rhodes and Cyprus and Lesbos were cleaned with the help of the support received from the Imperial Foundry The Prime Ministry Ottoman Archive is the main source of our article. The aim of the article is how the construction and cleaning of the port was done in the Ottoman Empire and how this work was done. Under what conditions was the economic cost and application of this work, which requires civil engineering? The answers to these questions have been tried to be explained. With the engineering examination of the port, the discovery book was issued, then it was cleaned three times at different times with the dredge ferries coming from Istanbul, the entrance of the port was opened and the landscaping of the port was made with the use of rubble stones from the old houses around the Narince Castle. Construction activities are carried out by Greek masters and journeymen. In this way, we see that the construction of the port, which is very costly financially, is supported economically by the help of the people. In our article, the cleaning and partial construction of the port, the working hours of the masters and the financial structure of the work have been tried to be explained to the extent that the documents in the Ottoman archive of the Presidency allow.

  • Issue Year: 8/2023
  • Issue No: Sp. Issue
  • Page Range: 2269-2310
  • Page Count: 42
  • Language: Turkish