Electricity in Istanbul as a lighting tool in the first quarter of 20th century

In this study, the role of lighting in particular lighting by electricity is analyzed in the period of great transformation of Istanbul from a traditional capital through a modern city under the influence of sprawling capitalism in the world which reproduces the new city which began before Tanzimat Period. In this work, the adventure of lighting by electricity was narrated by asking how Ottomans were getting aware of electricity, how it was welcomed and how Ottoman Administration and particularly Abdul Hamid II whose ruling coincided with the usage of the electricity was responded to it. In this context, the electricity and lighting which played an important role in the reconstructed and newly constructed cities after Industrial Revolution, how it affected Ottoman Istanbul that was intended to be transformed a modern capital and also how it changed/transformed the social life was debated. In the study, documents related to lighting by electricity in the Prime Ministry General Directorate of Ottoman Archives, newspapers of the period, magazines and memoirs and travel books which includes colourful and vivid portrayals of this transformation and also previous studies on the topic was scanned inside the limits and was tried to be analysed on the basis of electricity and lighting on Ottoman modern city. Key Words 1. Electricity 2. Lighting 3. Westenization 4. Technology 5. Modern City