Ottoman Terracotta Pipes in Arbelal Citadel (Selected Models)

Abstract

The pipe is used to smoke tobacco and filter tobacco smoke, and cool the smoke before it reaches the mouth, although this filter does not reduce the harmful effects of tobacco. The pipe consists of several fixed parts such as: the tobacco bowl that carries the tobacco and charcoal, and this part is connected to a thinner tube called the smoking pipe that is used to transfer smoke to the mouth, and the pipe is made of different materials such as stone, wood and metals, but the pipe used in this study is a pipe made of clay. The appearance of the clay pipe in the Ottoman Empire dates back to the early seventeenth century AD, that is, a hundred years after the appearance of the pipe in Europe and the United States via West Africa. Especially Egypt, and it was brought to Turkey, and the pipe was also brought to the Middle East by European-American merchant ships, then it spread widely in all areas under Ottoman rule. As a result of the excavations in Erbil Citadel, hundreds of clay fountains were found, most of them intact with some broken pieces, which are now kept in one of the artifact stores and are dedicated to the preservation of artifacts discovered during archaeological excavations. The study deals with the artifacts discovered in Erbil Citadel, including the clay fountains that date back to the Ottoman period. Therefore, we chose 15 pieces discovered during the archaeological excavations in Erbil Citadel and that were not studied. The research dealt with the archaeological excavations in the citadel, and then we addressed the history and technology of making the fountain in the Ottoman era, referring to the type and sections of the fountain, the type and colors of clay used in making the fountain. We also conducted a scientific analysis of the types of decoration and methods of its implementation