Istanbul Pera Palas Hotel as witness of a city and era (1893-1923)

ABSTRACT ISTANBUL PERA PALAS HOTEL AS A WITNESS OF A CITY AND AN ERA (1893-1923) Ph.D, Department of History DEMİR, Musa Supervisior: Assoc. Prof. Murat HANİLÇE June 2024, xiv + 268 pages. Hotels, which have an important place in the formation of modern urban life, started to be opened in the 18th century in the West and in the Ottoman Empire in the mid-19th century. The majority of the first hotels, which have an important place in the development of Turkish culture and tourism, were located in Istanbul. One of these hotels and the main subject of this study, the Pera Palas Hotel, was built towards the end of the 19th century in present-day Beyoğlu, formerly known as Pera. The hotel was opened by the international railway company Compagnie Internationale des Wagons-Lits. In 1883, the company started train services between Paris and Istanbul, a first in the concept of travelling. The journeys, which will go down in history as the Orient Express Train, soon reached many parts of the world. As a result of these journeys, luxurious and modern hotels were opened in many regions reached by train services. Pera Palas Hotel is one of the first hotels opened by the company in the East. This study covers the period from the opening of the hotel to the proclamation of the Republic. The sources of the study are Ottoman archive documents, various news in the local and foreign press, memoirs in which the hotel is mentioned, and many other research and reference works. The first part of the study, which consists of five chapters, deals with the history of Pera, the region where the hotel is located. In the second part, the Orient Express train, which was the main reason for the establishment of Pera Palas Hotel, is discussed. The third chapter focuses on hotels, which were modern accommodation structures in the Ottoman Empire. The fourth chapter analyses the history of Pera Palas Hotel and the contribution of its architect Vallaury to the architecture of Istanbul. The fifth and final chapter analyses the role of the hotel in the changes in the political, social and cultural atmosphere of Istanbul. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, political developments took place in the world, the effects of which have lasted until today. These developments, which caused radical changes in the structure of states and societies, also brought social, cultural and economic changes. The Ottoman Empire, which had an important position in world politics, could not stay outside this change. In this study, the reflections of important political events in the world political history on the Ottoman Empire are presented through the Pera Palas Hotel. The hotel has witnessed some events that have an important place in Turkish political history; sometimes it has played a role in the events itself. The fact that the hotel was affiliated with an international organisation contributed to the development of intercultural interaction. In this study, the observations and memoirs of important people who stayed at the hotel are analysed from a different perspective. The architectural and technical features of the hotel, the services it offered and the contribution of the innovations it brought to the urban life of Istanbul are discussed. The role of Pera Palas Hotel in the formation of modern Istanbul is analysed. The effects of the hotel on the change in Ottoman entertainment, clothing and eating and drinking habits, especially accommodation, are emphasised. In all these aspects, the study has endeavoured to reveal a certain section of Ottoman and Istanbul urban history through the window of a famous hotel. On the other hand, it has endeavoured to make a modest contribution to two important parts of Turkish tourism history by discussing the Orient Express, a means of travel, and Pera Palas, its accommodation establishment, in detail with new information and documents. Keywords: Istanbul, Accommodation, Modernisation, Orient Express, Pera Palace.