Chris Gratien, Georgetown University
Things were looking grim in March of 1864 in the Dardanelles. Spring was already underway and the districts of Biga and Gelibolu had not received a drop of rain in what seemed like ages. The year's entire harvest was in jeopardy. Then, a miracle came in the form of two nights and a day of rain, completely changing the prospects of the next harvest. The locals were now predicting that yields would be double those of the previous previous year.
The rain was no coincidence; it was the result of a coordinated government effort. Before cloud seeding, the preferred method of rainmaking was good old-fashioned prayer. In this case, orders were issued for prayers for rain to be conducted in all the mosques and places of worship (cevami-i şerif ve mabethanelerde). Young and old alike, even school children, participated in these prayers to "the Almighty (hazret-i kadir-i mutlak)", which took place just before dawn.
The historian may be skeptical that mass prayer could have any such effect, but the document does reveal one interesting point about belief, which is that in this region of Çanakkale both Muslims and Christians participated together to implore the heavens to give rain. As Sam noted, there is also a potential use of such documents for environmental historians. Droughts and famines usually only register in the archival record when they are severe enough to provoke a response from the government or when farmers seek tax breaks and loans on the basis of disappointing yields. The latter form of evidence is most commonly found in the local court records of the various provinces. However, localized or temporary droughts may also be tracked through such instances of coordinated rain prayers, which continued through the end of the Ottoman period.
The historian may be skeptical that mass prayer could have any such effect, but the document does reveal one interesting point about belief, which is that in this region of Çanakkale both Muslims and Christians participated together to implore the heavens to give rain. As Sam noted, there is also a potential use of such documents for environmental historians. Droughts and famines usually only register in the archival record when they are severe enough to provoke a response from the government or when farmers seek tax breaks and loans on the basis of disappointing yields. The latter form of evidence is most commonly found in the local court records of the various provinces. However, localized or temporary droughts may also be tracked through such instances of coordinated rain prayers, which continued through the end of the Ottoman period.
Here is a transcription of the message from the mutasarrıf of Biga about the success of the rain prayer:
Biga ve Gelibolu sancaklarında hayli vakittenberi rahmet olmadığından mezruat ve mahsulat-ı arziyesi nüzûl-ü barana aşırı mertebe mühtaç olduğundan canib-i hükümetten olunan tebliğat üzerine sunuf-u ahali tarafından cevami-i şerif ve mabethanelerde mektep çocuklarına varınca kibar ve sığar-ı ahali tarafından vakt-i sahurda dergâh-ı mualla-yı hazret-i kadir-i mutlaktan niyaz ve şahnı olunarak çok şükürler olsun livateyn-i mezkureteyne iki gece bir gün rahmetler ihsan buyurulması ve işbu nüzûl eden baranın asar-ı celile-yi ilahiyesi olarak bu sene mezkur sancakların mezruat ve mahsulat-ı arziye şimdiden müşahede olunan feyz ve bereket sene-yi sabıkanın iki misilli memul kavi bulunması olmasıyla maraz-ı teşekkürde ariza-yı çakiranem takdimine ibtidar olumuştur.
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Source: BOA, A-MKT-MHM 296/21 (27 Şevval 1280 [27 March 1864]), no. 3.
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