Hızlı, Mefail. Osmanlı Klasik Döneminde Bursa Medreseleri. İstanbul: İz Yayıncılık, 1998, 207pp.
ABSTRACT
The Medreses of Bursa in the Ottoman Classical Period
Osmanlı Klasik Döneminde Bursa Medreseleri
Medreses were important features of Ottoman-Turkish culture and academic life. In this study, the author attempts to evaluate their importance by focusing on Bursa. Bursa has in many ways been the main foothold in Ottoman history: according to the author, any study on Ottoman history that disregards Bursa would be incomplete.
This particular study deals with the medreses built between the fourteenth and the sixteenth centuries. The chapters are based on the reigns of sultans from the fourteenth century onwards. The medreses’ histories are told starting from the reign of Orhan, up to the reign of Murad III. The author discusses the historical and social development of Bursa’s medreses.
The author has utilised court records to construct this documentary study. He also refers to former studies on the topic, which are limited in number. The book includes statistical information on the construction dates of each structure, as well as the names they were given within each period and the number of students at each medrese. The book fills an important gap in the field; however, it would have been beneficial had the study given more weight to the analysis of contemporary events alongside the classification of medreses.
This study demonstrates the importance of court records as sources that reveal detailed information on medreses. By sifting through such records, the author sheds light on the level of wages for teachers (müderris) and the number of teachers employed in each medrese. Some important medreses constructed during Orhan’s reign are: Manastır Medresesi, Hisar Dışındaki Orhan Gazi Medresesi and Lala Şahin Paşa Medresesi (currently this medrese serves as a children’s library, Hisar Kütüphanesi, in a way still continuing to fulfil its initial function).
During the classical period, a total of fifty medreses were built in the centre of Bursa: thirteen in the fourteenth century, twenty in the fifteenth century, seventeen in the sixteenth century. The highest number of medreses was founded during Mehmet the Conqueror’s reign. By the end of the sixteenth century, Bursa had a potential for around 500 students, excluding 150 students attending primary school (sıbyan mektebi). Ulucami and its environs had the heaviest concentration of medreses. The education gained at medreses could be put to use in the outside world. The Ottomans gave graduates of medreses the opportunity to become teachers (müderris), judges (kadı) or religious officials (müftü), thereby providing a solution to employment needs.
Özge Soylu Bozdağ
Translated by Aysu Dincer