Alimentarea cu apă în orașul Iași: influențe, rețea, tehnologie (secolul al XVII lea – jumătatea secolului al XIX-lea)
Water Supply in the Town of Iași: Influences, Network, Technology (17th to Mid – 19th Century)

Summary/Abstract: The water supply in the town of Iași was a long-standing concern for the rulers of Moldavia, with beginnings predating the rule of Vasile Lupu (1634–1653). Due to the lack of sources, it is only when this prince came into office that we can benefit from more solid information: the first pipelines bringing water to the palace and the public bath (feredeu) were installed during his reign. The most significant investments were made in the 18th century when the foundation is gradually laid for a network and supply system. Major contributions were brought by princes Grigore II Ghica and Grigore III Ghica, and Constantin and Alexandru Moruzi, who used water from the sources in the hills outside the town. The inventory (attached to this study) taken by a committee in 1841 has revealed more details about how the network operated, and allows for a clear conclusion: the water supply system displays an obvious Ottoman influence. The craftsmen who had worked on capturing water and creating the water fountains in Iași were known to have come from south of the Danube, but we now have data confirming the idea that structural and functional elements from Ottoman towns were introduced in the water network of the Moldavian capital. The specialized terms (suiulgiu, cișmea, havuz, maslac, terezie, lichium, edirmeli) are Turkish in origin, and so is the way the system was designed.

• Details
• Contents