Rumelia telegraph lines (1854-1876)

The effect telegraph technology, which was invented in the mid 19th century, created was felt in Ottoman State too, although being late. The first lines were began being constructed in 1854 because of the 1853-1856 Crimean War, and in the following years Ottoman State began augmenting the lines in Rumelia. Almost in a decade it became possible to communicate via telegraph between almost all big centers of Rumelia and Istanbul. After Regulation of Province of 1864, projects were prepared in order to enhance the communication within the provinces, and the telegraph technology was delivered to many townships. The telegraph lines Ottoman State established in Rumelian territories also created a fast communication between Istanbul and European capitals by being linked to neighbourhood countries' lines. Same lines were also used in the service of transit telegraph exchanging between Europe and Asia continents for international telegraph communication. The situation of internal and international telegraph communication of Rumelia telegraph lines, increased the importance of them a lot. Within twenty years, a growing body of Rumelian telegraph offices and Rumelian telegraph network, which was strengthen and spread into a wide area, were managed successfully. A management away from the effects of rural administrators under the Ottoman Telegraph Administration with the established administrative and financial management system was carried out. While mutual telegraph agreements were signed with Austria, Russia, Naples/Italy and Greece because of Rumelian lines international usage, Ottoman State, which also became a member of International Telegraph Union, put into place the international standards along with special regulations for the operation of telegraph lines. The telegraph technology, which had significant effects on the development of political, economical and cultural relations between Ottoman State and Europe, thanks to the speed it provided, caused lots of effects in political, military and socio-economic areas in Rumelia as well. With the study prepared in the light of Ottoman archive documents, it is hoped to contribute to the historical researches which will be made specific to Rumelia. Keywords: Telegraph, Rumelia, Ottoman State, Communication.