Abstract:

It has been seen that the clock, an instrument that shows time to the extent it can be determined, was used in Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China in the years 3000-2000 BCE, in the most rudimentary forms operated by sun, sand, oil, and water. Sundials were the most commonly used of these clocks. These clocks were used in the Seljuk and Ottoman periods andined their presence until the beginning of the 20th century. Regarding the meticulous studies conducted in terms of the identification of prayer clocks and regulating calendars, it is not possible to disregard the share of Muslim scholars and Islamic civilization in the development of clocks. The tradition of making clock towers began to be seen in Europe in the 13th century and became common in the 14th century. It entered Ottoman lands at the end of the 16th century immediately after the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent and developed and spread together with the 18th century. Basic clock tower construction on Ottoman lands started with the decree Sultan Abdülhamid II sent regarding the construction of clock towers to the provinces at the turn of the 25th year of his ascent to the throne (1901-1902), regarding the process of westernizing the Ottomans. It is known that the importance the sultan personally gave to the use of time on the one hand was for the faster and more orderly conduct of work in his country and that he provided a separate consideration to this work. One of the configurations in this period along with controversy in the history of construction is the Niğde Clock Tower. This study will reopen the discussion of the Niğde Clock Tower and will get more closely familiar with it in the world of science considering the documents we have found in the Presidential Office of the State Archives Ottoman Archive and understand not to have been used until today.

Keywords:

Abstract:

It has been seen that the clock, an instrument that shows time to the extent it can be determined, was used in Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China in the years 3000-2000 BCE, in the most rudimentary forms operated by sun, sand, oil, and water. Sundials were the most commonly used of these clocks. These clocks were used in the Seljuk and Ottoman periods and maintained their presence until the start of the 20th century. Regarding the meticulous studies conducted in terms of the identification of prayer clocks and regulating calendars, it is not possible to disregard the share of Muslim scholars and Islamic civilization in the development of clocks. The tradition of making clock towers started to be seen in Europe in the 13th century and became common in the 14th century. It entered Ottoman lands at the end of the 16th century immediately after the reign of Suleyman the Magnificent and developed and spread together with the 18th century. Basic clock tower construction on Ottoman lands started with the decree Sultan Abdülhamid II sent regarding the construction of clock towers to the provinces at the turn of the 25th year of his ascent to the throne (1901-1902), regarding the process of westernizing the Ottomans. It is known that the importance the sultan personally gave to the use of time on the one hand was for the faster and more orderly conduct of work in his country and that he provided a separate consideration to this work. One of the configurations in this period along with controversy in the history of construction is the Niğde Clock Tower. This study will reopen the discussion of the Niğde Clock Tower and will more closely get familiar with it in the world of science considering the documents we have found in the Presidential Office of the State Archives Ottoman Archive and understand not to have been used until today.