19th century transformation of the way of life through the bosphorus mansions

From Central Asia, until they settled in Anatolia, Turks have created an ancient civilization with their cultural accumulation over centuries. The Turks, who synthesized the remnants of the existing cultures in Anatolia with their own accumulations, spread to Anatolia over time, expanded their territory with a strong state organization, and became an empire spreading to three continents. These developments also had an impact on architecture, and they built their original traditional structures with the techniques, forms, constructions, and materials they developed based on their own traditional norms. Until the 18th century, the Ottoman Empire continued its life with the traditional order they had created in every sense, followed a closed policy to the outside world, and in time lagged behind the technological developments experienced by the world. Facing this reality as a result of the wars and territories it lost, the Ottoman Empire found the solution in Westernization and took a series of steps in this regard. The innovations, which were initially thought only in the field of military and education, spread to the whole Ottoman life and affected the socio-cultural life. Especially with the declaration of the Tanzimat in the 19th century, increasing Westernization began to change the Ottoman traditional life with a fundamentalist approach. Some of the areas changing this process are interior space, architecture, and furniture. The 19th-century Dolmabahçe Palace was the pioneer of this change. The palace, whose architecture, interiors, and furniture were built completely in accordance with the Western lifestyle, abandoned the traditional lifestyle. This spatial change was also reflected in the residential architecture, and the first to be affected were the upper-class state officials, and in time it was also reflected in the public. The Bosphorus Mansions, which is the subject of our study, are the countryside residences of the upper class. Constructed in traditional style, these buildings are among the building types most affected by the transformation. Far from being just residences, mansions are also cultural platforms where the popular developments of the period were experienced. As a matter of fact, after the palace, they are among the housing types where the transformation from interior space to furniture, from facade to ornamentation, from lifestyle to habits is first seen. For this reason, it is thought that it would be useful to analyze the transformed lifestyle after the 19th century through mansions in the context of interior space and furniture. It is aimed to present a qualified document that analyses the interior space, furniture, and lifestyle of the period with the readings and examinations made. Keywords: 19th Century, Interior Space, Mansion, Modernisation