The Natural Catastrophes Between 18th And 19th Centuries in the Ottoman Empire in Anatolia

Events coming into being out of human control and destructing the equilibrium of social and economic structure are generally named as catastrophes and natural disasters[1]. In its most general definition “catastrophe” is a destructive event, which has an effect in human life. Specifically, it is a destruction that is caused by nature[2]. Catastrophes can be categorized in two groups including social and natural ones. This study does not deal with the catastrophes coming into being by human hand but mainly focuses on natural disasters. People have always become desperate mostly because of earthquakes, famines as a result of drought, epidemic invasion of insects, cholera (illet-i mahfufe), plague (ta'un) torrents and heavy rains, intense heat (şiddet-i harare) and intense cold (şiddet-i şita), conflagration, animal diseases like hoof and mouth diseases and cattle pestilence. Within a long lasting period so as to study this subject several classifications in Ottoman Archives in Prime Ministry (Cevdet, İrade, Ali Emiri, Hatt-ı Hümayun and partially Mühimme classifications) were scanned. In addition, with an exemplification way, the Ottoman Law Records “chronicles” coinciding with the same period in important Anatolia centers (Diyarbakır, Harput, Trabzon, Adana, Antep, Ankara, Amasya, Bursa, Kayseri, Konya) were scanned. Moreover, chronicles (Asım, Şani-zade, Lütfi and Cevdet Tarihi) and travel books (especially written by foreign travelers) which belong to the same period were scrutinized. The subject, natural disasters in Ottoman State has covered a wide field of study. Hence, history of natural disasters in Anatolia is taken as a focus point. In this respect, natural disasters in Aleppo, Mosul, Kerkük, Süleymaniye, Erbil, Rakka that were in Ottoman Anatolia during the Ottoman reign are also inspected in this study. However, Istanbul and its near periphery are out of this studies subject because of its distinctive feature. This study aims to call attentions to natural disasters in Ottoman Anatolia and to preventive measures taken throughout the last two centuries of Ottoman State so as to enable to success more significant analysis on the socioeconomic history of Ottoman State