Resumen de La rete dei forti ottomani nell’ isola di Creta 1866-1868
During the most insistent and bloody of the revolts of the Christian population of Crete in the 19th century, between 1866 and 1868, the command of the Ottoman troops was given to Pasha Hussein Avni (1820- 1876). He is credited with designing a network of almost sixty small and large forts, capable of controlling all the passages and roads connecting the major settlements. These “control lines” (hatt-i muhafaza) for the most part inside the island were created in a short time between the summer of 1867 and the spring of 1868. The surveillance network is characterized by the great density of chosen locations and the ability to transform the initial building types in order to comply with the geomorphologic characteristics of each place, the location of the settlements and the hypotheses of movement of the rioters. This system of roads, forts and barracks has left a strong mark in the countryside of the entire island. The presentation accompanying the text includes: 1. Map of the island with the main groups of forts, 2. The building types, 3. The relationship with the landscape and the conservation projects. This research is based on a conservation program for the forts of the Sfakia area, funded by the Region of Crete (2018-2022) and the drawings that are presented are products of the Laboratory for the Documentation and Restoration of Historic Buildings and Sites of the Technical University of Crete.
