Green parks, historical monuments and untold nooks and crannies give Istanbul the feeling of an open-air museum. The water fountains spread around the city are among the many attractions. Some of them, including the Sultan Ahmet Fountain, outside the Imperial Gate of the Topkapi Palace, feature rococo or baroque design. Others are simpler, less “dressy,” and easy to miss if you're not looking for them.

Istanbul is believed to have more than 1,000 “cesme” and “sebils.” The word “cesme,” derived from the Persian root “cesm,” meaning “eye,” translates as “water fountain.” This type of fountain can be found all over the world, but a sebil, on the other hand, is unique to the Levant. Found on busy city streets and along major caravan trade routes, sebils are small kiosks for distributing cold water  in cups to passers-by free of charge. There is no English translation for “sebil” or “sabil.” In Arabic, they are called “rahat,” which denotes rest and comfort.

So why did water fountains become such a frequent and decorative ornament in Istanbul? Murat Guvenc, director of the Istanbul Studies Center at Kadir Has University, told Al-Monitor, “Prior to the Industrial Revolution, cities could not distribute water to each household because they lacked pressured plumbing systems. Hence, cities would build aqueduct bridges to bring in water, as it could not travel uphill. Around the Mediterranean and Levant, fountains and sebils were the most distinctive components of water distribution before the Industrial Revolution.”

Hygiene was the main reason water fountains became so widespread around the Ottoman Empire, especially in Istanbul, the empire’s most populous city and its capital. People believed that running water was cleaner and safer to use for cooking and drinking. Another reason was religious. People with means wanted to build something to benefit others, and fountains, along with mosques or schools, were a common form of charity. Several hadiths — words, sayings and deeds of Prophet Muhammad— urged believers to help quench the thirst of others. Building a water fountain was the cheapest way to be charitable, and people of average means, along with the wealthy, were eager to give. There was, however, a catch.