Back to Search

Map of the water courses in the Sulaymaniyah complex
(خارطة مجاري المياه في مجمع السليمانية)

Title	Map of the water courses in the Sulaymaniyah complex
Title Original	خارطة مجاري المياه في مجمع السليمانية
Publication Date:	Second half of the 12th / 18th century
Publication Place	- Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts
Subject	Paper, ink, pigments.
Type	Other
Language	Undetermined
Digital	Yes
Manuscript	No
Physical Dimensions	الطول: 2572 سم؛ العرض: 30 سم
Library:	Museum With No Frontiers
Library Asset ID	3337
Record ID	object;ISL;tr;Mus01;46;ar
Library Location	Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts
Date	Second half of the 12th / 18th century
Notes	The map of the water courses in the Sulaymaniyah complex was drawn by hand on uncoated paper. The sewers were designed to supply water to the entire mosque complex, including the soup kitchen, the hospital, the school, and public tanks. Branches of the high-capacity Halkali water supply network, fed by the Aipah (Kirazli) and Çınar springs, supply water to the Sulaymaniyah complex and 80 sites in Istanbul. The water course is shown on the map in detail, from source to end, including meeting places with other streams, entry points into the city through the walls, and especially water distribution centers and canals. The drawing scale was not adopted in preparing the map, but rather the planning method. Therefore, many buildings and complexes cannot be precisely located. At the far end of the map there is a drawing of the Sulaymaniyah complex. Maps like these describe to us the path of water transported by pipes from springs, crossing valleys through canals, adjusting the pressure level at specific points, and then pumping it in different directions to the distribution centers to reach the public reservoirs. These maps also provide information about urban structure: how people live, and what kind of infrastructure and buildings a neighborhood contains. For example, the Roman Wallens Aqueduct (375 AD), known as the Bozdukan Aqueduct in Turkey, is considered the 'Great Aqueduct of Souk Al-Khail', and information has been provided regarding the names of the people and buildings benefiting from the waters of this aqueduct. The Chalkali Water Network can also distribute water to private properties, but only under a license issued by the Sultan. For example, we find the house of Suleiman the Magnificent's dentist, Moshe Hamun (899-962 / 1490-1554), listed under the name 'Beytahmoudoglu'. Through the map of the water courses in the Sulaymaniyah complex, we not only know how water was drawn into the city, but we also know the neighborhoods in which the courtiers and notables lived. Therefore, watercourse maps are important for describing the geographical distribution of a city's community.
Sample Text	Şule Aksoy “Map of the water courses in the Sulaymaniyah Complex” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;tr;Mus01;46;ar

View in source Museum With No Frontiers Museum With No Frontiers - Ottoman library catalog search

Museum With No Frontiers

Map of the water courses in the Sulaymaniyah complex

(خارطة مجاري المياه في مجمع السليمانية)

Publication Date Second half of the 12th / 18th century

Publication Place - Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts

Subject Paper, ink, pigments.

Type Other

Language Undetermined

Digital Yes

Manuscript No

Physical Dimensions الطول: 2572 سم؛ العرض: 30 سم

Library Museum With No Frontiers

Library Asset ID 3337

Record ID object;ISL;tr;Mus01;46;ar

Library Location Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts

Date Second half of the 12th / 18th century

Notes The map of the water courses in the Sulaymaniyah complex was drawn by hand on uncoated paper. The sewers were designed to supply water to the entire mosque complex, including the soup kitchen, the hospital, the school, and public tanks. Branches of the high-capacity Halkali water supply network, fed by the Aipah (Kirazli) and Çınar springs, supply water to the Sulaymaniyah complex and 80 sites in Istanbul. The water course is shown on the map in detail, from source to end, including meeting places with other streams, entry points into the city through the walls, and especially water distribution centers and canals. The drawing scale was not adopted in preparing the map, but rather the planning method. Therefore, many buildings and complexes cannot be precisely located. At the far end of the map there is a drawing of the Sulaymaniyah complex. Maps like these describe to us the path of water transported by pipes from springs, crossing valleys through canals, adjusting the pressure level at specific points, and then pumping it in different directions to the distribution centers to reach the public reservoirs. These maps also provide information about urban structure: how people live, and what kind of infrastructure and buildings a neighborhood contains. For example, the Roman Wallens Aqueduct (375 AD), known as the Bozdukan Aqueduct in Turkey, is considered the 'Great Aqueduct of Souk Al-Khail', and information has been provided regarding the names of the people and buildings benefiting from the waters of this aqueduct. The Chalkali Water Network can also distribute water to private properties, but only under a license issued by the Sultan. For example, we find the house of Suleiman the Magnificent's dentist, Moshe Hamun (899-962 / 1490-1554), listed under the name 'Beytahmoudoglu'. Through the map of the water courses in the Sulaymaniyah complex, we not only know how water was drawn into the city, but we also know the neighborhoods in which the courtiers and notables lived. Therefore, watercourse maps are important for describing the geographical distribution of a city's community.

Sample Text Şule Aksoy “Map of the water courses in the Sulaymaniyah Complex” in Discover Islamic Art. Museum Without Borders, 2026. https://islamicart.museumwnf.org/database_item.php?id=object;ISL;tr;Mus01;46;ar