Coal gas in Istanbul as a lighting instrument in the second half of the 19th century

In this study, historical transformation of urban space as a social form as well as how the city evolved as a modern urban phenomenon in Ottoman State following Industrial Revolution in Europe in along with capitalism is analysed on the case of street lighting by using coal gas as first sample as a milestone referring how and where happened. Furthermore, reflections of lighting in the era of Westernization on Ottoman social life and regarding the conditions of royalties granted by the government to the entrepreneurs on lighting by using coal gas are both evaluated. Main resource of this study which elaborates the initial urban reforms in the capital of Ottoman State Istanbul on the case of street lighting process is Prime Ministry General Directorate of Ottoman Archives. We have tried to organize the documents in different sections of the archive after sorting out spare ones which is irrelevant to the case. Moreover newspapers magazines and other studies regarding the topic are tried to be examined in the scope of the work. This study only covers the lighting by using coal gas in the con-text of modern urban space due to limits of the case. Key Words 1.Urban 2.Lighting 3.Modernity 4.Coal Gas 5.Westernization