Urban expansion of economic buildings in the city of Mosul during the Ottoman era

Abstract

Economic buildings are the foundation of the ancient city of Mosul, as are other buildings—religious, service, educational, and health. Their construction was based on humanitarian, social, and administrative necessities, with the aim of providing its residents with the municipal, livelihood, craft, and medical services they needed. These services were distributed in an organized manner within the boundaries of the ancient city. Herein lies the importance of the urban expansion of all service buildings in the city of Mosul during the Ottoman era, regardless of their purposes and functions. Economic buildings are a type of real estate owned by the state, or by individuals and persons, and are a perpetual endowment for their owners and their descendants. They usually consist of buildings, or parts thereof, with designated and defined spaces, whether closed or open, large or small, individual or collective. Various services are provided in them for the public and private sectors of Mosul, such as markets, qaysariyas, inns, and other commercial buildings that provide public services to residents, visitors, and travelers. Economic buildings are an introduction to studying important stages of a city's development. Mosul, a commercial city in the Ottoman era, witnessed a great deal of diversity, development and attention in its construction sites, planning, architecture, and the availability of defensive and security fortifications that were necessary to protect it and the goods, merchandise and raw materials it contained, with the provision of permanent protection and safety, in addition to the major role played by the city of Mosul as a major commercial and economic center in the country due to its important and significant geographical location throughout its long history.