hosiar_nooraddin

EXAMPLES OF

AL-FINA'

IN ISLAMIC CITIES

119

traditional streets the trees were not noticable since they were

located in the courtyards behind high walls.

The presence of hills and running water influenced the

character of

al-fina'

by changing the course of streets, the

relative levels in elevations, and by providing the seashore

houses with a particular sort of

fina'

along the water for

private uses and controlled by the owners

Color and sound are two other important characters of

al

fina'

in the traditional Istanbul, influenced basically by the

presence of religious buildings, markets, local life style, and

the natural characteristics of the eity. All these factors

contributed to diversify the character of

al-fina'

in each

particular area of the city.

These specific urban design characteristics continued until

the 19th century. In 1839, the government started a new process

to modernize the state according to the contemporary European

models. This included all parts of the state and society, such

as the law system, administration, military, education, economy,

architecture and town planning. The reforms aimed also to replace

the old decentralized system with a central one.

The new architecture and town planning was borrowed from

Western Europe. This involved changing all related codes such as

regulations, street regulations, and construction regulations.

The new streets were designed as straight, wide, regular,

and classified according to width such as main avenues of 7.6

meters wide, ordinary avenues of 6 meters wide, and other streets

of 4.5 meters wide

177

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176

See also chapter:

al-Fina'

in part 2.

nThe authority changed the dimensions of the different types over time

according to new regulations. On these regulations see street regulations of

1858, street and building regulations of 1863, street regulations of 1882.