Publication: XVI. yüzyıl Kudüs'ünde ilim kurumları ve ulema
Abstract
Osmanlılar 16. yüzyılda I. Selim (1512-1520) tarafından doğuya düzenlenen seferler neticesinde Mısır, Şam ve Hicaz bölgelerini ele geçirmiş, bu sayede hilafet makamını elde ederek İslâm dünyasının siyasî ve dinî lideri haline gelmişlerdir. Daha önce Anadolu ve Balkanlar’da olduğu gibi gayrimüslim bölgelerin fethi yoluyla topraklarını genişleten Osmanlılar için Müslüman bir devlet olan Memlüklerden alınan Arap coğrafyasının ilhakı yeni bir durum olup farklı bir siyaset izlemelerini gerektirmiştir. Arap coğrafyasındaki şehirlerin dinî, idarî, adlî, iktisadî, sosyal ve kültürel yapısı Osmanlı idaresindeki diğer Müslüman şehirlerle benzerlik gösterdiğinden mevcut yapının belli ölçülerde tadil edilerek muhafazası ve tedricen Osmanlı sistemine dâhil edilmesi hedeflenmiştir. Bu süreçte hâkim oldukları Kudüs’te de Osmanlılar, Eyyûbîler ve özellikle Memlükler döneminde teşekkül eden geniş bir ilmî çevreyle karşılaştılar. Mescid-i Aksâ’nın merkezde olduğu ve diğer ilim kurumlarının onun etrafını çevrelediği bu yapıda âlimlere vakıflarla desteklenen kurumlarda çok sayıda mansıb sunulmuştur. Bu nedenle daha fazla ilim kurumu inşası yerine şehrin güvenliğini temin ederek refahını artırmaya yönelik faaliyetleri öncelemişler, ilmî yapıyı ve vakıflarını da ciddi bir denetim altında tutarak muhafaza etmişlerdir. Bu çalışma 16. yüzyılda Kudüs’teki ilim kurumları ve âlimleri özellikle şerʽiyye sicilleri, arşiv kaynakları ve tabakât eserleri gibi birincil kaynaklar üzerinden ele almaktadır. Bu sayede ilim kurumları arasında Osmanlılar’ın ilk yüzyılında faaliyetine devam edenlerin tespiti, vakıflarının durumu, âlimlerin sahip oldukları mansıblar, merkezî idareyle ilişkileri, Kudüs’teki âlimlerin ilmî hareketliliği ve öne çıkan ulema aileleri gibi konuların ortaya konması amaçlanmıştır.
In the 16th century, the Ottomans, under Selim I, expanded their dominion to include the regions of Egypt, Syria, and the Hijaz through a series of eastern campaigns. By controlling these territories and acquiring the caliphate, the Ottomans emerged as the political and religious leaders of the Islamic world. Unlike the previous conquests of non-Muslim territories in Anatolia and the Balkans, the annexation of the predominantly Muslim Arab lands, previously under Mamluk rule, presented a new challenge, necessitating a distinct administrative strategy. The religious, administrative, judicial, economic, social, and cultural structures of Arab cities bore significant similarities to those of other Muslim cities under Ottoman control. Therefore, the Ottomans adopted a policy of preserving the existing structures with minimal modifications and gradually integrating them into the Ottoman system. Upon taking control of Jerusalem in the 16th century, the Ottomans encountered a well-established scholarly community that had flourished during the Ayyubid and particularly the Mamluk periods. In this framework, with the AlAqsa Mosque at its center and surrounded by various scholarly institutions, numerous positions supported by endowments were offered to scholars. Rather than prioritizing the construction of additional scholarly institutions, the Ottomans focused on ensuring the city’s security and enhancing its prosperity. They also placed the scholarly structures and their endowments under rigorous supervision to preserve their integrity. This study examines the scholarly institutions and ulama of 16th-century Jerusalem applying primary sources, including court records (şer‘iyye sicilleri), archival materials, and biographical works (tabakât). It aims to identify the institutions that remained active, analyze the state of their endowments, explore the positions held by scholars, investigate their relationships with the central administration, trace the scholarly mobility within the city, and highlight prominent scholarly families in Jerusalem during the period in question.
In the 16th century, the Ottomans, under Selim I, expanded their dominion to include the regions of Egypt, Syria, and the Hijaz through a series of eastern campaigns. By controlling these territories and acquiring the caliphate, the Ottomans emerged as the political and religious leaders of the Islamic world. Unlike the previous conquests of non-Muslim territories in Anatolia and the Balkans, the annexation of the predominantly Muslim Arab lands, previously under Mamluk rule, presented a new challenge, necessitating a distinct administrative strategy. The religious, administrative, judicial, economic, social, and cultural structures of Arab cities bore significant similarities to those of other Muslim cities under Ottoman control. Therefore, the Ottomans adopted a policy of preserving the existing structures with minimal modifications and gradually integrating them into the Ottoman system. Upon taking control of Jerusalem in the 16th century, the Ottomans encountered a well-established scholarly community that had flourished during the Ayyubid and particularly the Mamluk periods. In this framework, with the AlAqsa Mosque at its center and surrounded by various scholarly institutions, numerous positions supported by endowments were offered to scholars. Rather than prioritizing the construction of additional scholarly institutions, the Ottomans focused on ensuring the city’s security and enhancing its prosperity. They also placed the scholarly structures and their endowments under rigorous supervision to preserve their integrity. This study examines the scholarly institutions and ulama of 16th-century Jerusalem applying primary sources, including court records (şer‘iyye sicilleri), archival materials, and biographical works (tabakât). It aims to identify the institutions that remained active, analyze the state of their endowments, explore the positions held by scholars, investigate their relationships with the central administration, trace the scholarly mobility within the city, and highlight prominent scholarly families in Jerusalem during the period in question.