Natural Disasters in the Ottoman Empire : Plague, Famine, and Other Misfortunes

This Book Explores The History Of Natural Disasters In The Ottoman Empire And The Responses To Them On The State, Communal, And Individual Levels. Yaron Ayalon Argues That Religious Boundaries Between Muslims And Non-muslims Were Far Less Significant In Ottoman Society Than Commonly Believed. Furthermore, The Emphasis On Islamic Principles And The Presence Of Islamic Symbols In The Public Domain Were Measures The State Took To Enhance Its Reputation And Political Capital - Occasional Discrimination Of Non-muslims Was Only A By-product Of These Measures. This Study Sheds New Light On Flight And Behavioral Patterns In Response To Impending Disasters By Combining Historical Evidence With Studies In Social Psychology And Sociology. Employing An Approach That Mixes Environmental And Social History With The Psychology Of Disasters, This Work Asserts That The Handling Of Such Disasters Was Crucial To Both The Rise And The Fall Of The Ottoman Empire-- Introduction -- 1. The Black Death And The Rise Of The Ottomans -- 2. Natural Disasters And The Ottoman State -- 3. Natural Disasters And Ottoman Communities -- 4. Individuals Face Disasters -- 5. Natural Disasters At The End Of Empire -- Conclusion. Yaron Ayalon. Includes Bibliographical References (pages 215-237) And Index. Cover 1 Half-title 3 Dedication 4 Title page 5 Copyright information 6 Table of contents 7 List of figures 9 Preface 11 Abbreviations, Transliteration, and Dates 17 Map 19 Introduction 21 Ottoman History and Historiography 25 Natural Disasters in Human Record 29 The Harshness of Plague and Famine 32 Plague, Famine, and Other Devastations 34 Book Structure 39 1 The Black Death and the Rise of the Ottomans 41 Natural Disasters in Muslim Societies before the Ottomans 42 The Black Death and Its Aftermath 48 The Black Death in Europe: A Closer Look 52 Why Was the Middle East Different? 60 The Black Death and the Rise of the Ottomans 68 Pluralism and Social Welfare: The Apogee of Ottoman Power 73 2 Natural Disasters and the Ottoman State 81 Famines and Plagues 84 Earthquakes and Fires 107 Urban Planning, New Opportunities 125 3 Natural Disasters and Ottoman Communities 129 The Religious Community: The Quintessence of Social Life? 131 Why Give? 143 Communities Face Crisis 147 4 Individuals Face Disasters 154 The Problem of Flight 155 Explaining Disaster Behavior 171 Economics 174 Information 177 Psychology and Biology 180 A New Perspective on Ottoman Society 187 5 Natural Disasters at the End of Empire 191 An Age of Reform 193 Quarantine and Health Policy 203 City Planning 212 Natural Disasters and the End of Empire 217 Conclusion 228 Bibliography 235 Archives 235 Istanbul, Bas.bakanlik Osmanli Ars.ivleri (Prime Minister’s Office Archives) 235 Cevdet Series 235 I.bnülemin Series 235 Sadaret 235 Other Series 235 London, The National Archives (Formerly the Public Records Office) 236 State Papers Series 236 Marseille, Archives de la chambre de commerce et d’industrie 236 J Series 236 Jewish Texts 236 Published and Unpublished Primary Sources 236 Secondary Published Sources 240 Newspapers 240 Other Sources 240 Index 259 "This book explores the history of natural disasters in the Ottoman Empire and the responses to them on the state, communal, and individual levels. Yaron Ayalon argues that religious boundaries between Muslims and non-Muslims were far less significant in Ottoman society than commonly believed. Furthermore, the emphasis on Islamic principles and the presence of Islamic symbols in the public domain were measures the state took to enhance its reputation and political capital - occasional discrimination of non-Muslims was only a by-product of these measures. This study sheds new light on flight and behavioral patterns in response to impending disasters by combining historical evidence with studies in social psychology and sociology. Employing an approach that mixes environmental and social history with the psychology of disasters, this work asserts that the handling of such disasters was crucial to both the rise and the fall of the Ottoman Empire"-- Provided by publisher