FAMINES, EARTHQUAKES, PLAGUES: NATURAL DISASTERS IN OTTOMAN SYRIA IN THE WRITINGS OF VISITORS

Authors : Yaron Ayalon

Pages : 223-247

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Publication Date : 2008-12-01

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :In an article on medieval hospitals, Miri Rubin explained that documents discussing such institutions only rarely allow one a peek into a hospital`s day-to-:day life. The historian could nonetheless imagine that life by employing fragments of testimonies in an un~onventional manner, and by recognizing the `language` of hospitals and charity prevailing at the time. 1 The problem outlined by Rubin exists for the study of natural disasters in the Ottoman Empire as well. While famines, earthquakes, and plagues are sometimes mentioned, one seldom comes across evidence on the influence such calamities had on diurnal experiences of the inhabitants of cities. And following Rubin`s suggestion, one can combine an array of sources to reconstruct them. This study will deal with one type of sources - works and documents by visitors - and its unique contribution to the understanding of the social implications of natural disasters.
Keywords : FAMINES, EARTHQUAKES, PLAGUES