Urfa Sancağı’nda 1890 Kolera Salgını
1890 Cholera Epidemic in the Sanjak of Urfa

Summary/Abstract: In Ottoman documents; Cholera called “illet-i kolera”, "illet-i âdiyye" or "illet-i mahûf" is an infectious disease which is quite deadly if not intervened in a short time. Cholera, which is usually seen more often in the hot months, is an epidemic disease and polluted water sources are the most important factor in the transmission of this disease. Especially in places such as barracks, prisons, schools and hospitals, the spreading risk of this disease is more likely to become an epidemic. Cholera was a characteristic disease of the 19th century, so this century has been described as a cholera century. In the nineteenth century, Cholera swept almost all the world in Asia, Africa, Europe and America, causing many people to die in the world. The first known cholera case in the Ottoman Empire was seen in 1822, and in 1831 it became the epidemic disease for the first time. The 1890 cholera epidemic, which is the subject of our research, has spread to a wide area from Aleppo (where Sanjak of Urfa is located) to Trabzon, from Sivas to Erbil, from Hijaz to Erzurum. The cholera cases seen in Sanjak of Urfa were not considered very important at the beginning, even as reflected in the document, "there is no cholera case in Urfa". But later it became clear that this was not the case. Thereupon, detailed reports have been started to be prepared about those caught in cholera. Many people lost their lives because of cholera outbreak in Sanjak of Urfa. It is stated that the cholera outbreak in Urfa is caused by the refugees living in Mardin and Harran. When the cholera epidemic was seen in Urfa, measures were taken against it and health centres were established in various parts of the region. Over time, these quarantine zones changed according to the spread of Cholera. In addition to the measures taken against Cholera, there has been a raise in salaries and other costs for officers and doctors in these health centres. It was alleged in Sanjak of Urfa that "necessary precautions against Cholera were not taken", but it was understood that this was not true as a result of the investigation. In this study, the effects of the cholera epidemic seen in many parts of the Ottoman country in 1890 and the measures taken will be discussed. The main source of the work is the various catalogues related to the subject in the Prime Ministry's Ottoman Archives.

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