Electric Istanbul
Every technological advance also has its downsides. This was apparently also the view of the sultans of the Ottoman Empire when electricity began to spread worldwide at the end of the 19th century – including in Istanbul. The public use of electricity was met with great scepticism there. The power lines in Istanbul’s hilly terrain, with its narrow streets and wooden houses, were seen primarily as a fire and accident hazard. The use of electricity was therefore subject to strict government control: anyone who wanted to purchase electrical appliances needed official permission. However, as historian Nurçin İleri shows in her research project, the population of Istanbul did not allow these restrictions to hold them back for long.

After a period of government reluctance to embrace the use of electricity, Istanbul was connected to the power grid at the beginning of the 20th century. The sultans of the Ottoman Empire were initially sceptical about the new technology, as it brought not only progress but also previously unknown dangers. The use of electricity was therefore subject to strict government control. In 1914, the Silahtarağa power station on the Golden Horn was opened as Istanbul’s first metropolitan power plant. It supplied electricity to both the city itself and the tram system, which was put into operation at around the same time. The Young Turk movement and the founding of the Turkish Republic gave additional impetus to the electrification of the metropolis on the Bosphorus. The expansion of the electrical infrastructure was closely linked to the comprehensive modernisation of the state and the establishment of the young Turkish nation.

Library, Istanbul.
In her research project, EUME Fellow Nurçin İleri traces the electrification of Istanbul during the transition from the Ottoman Empire to the modern Turkish nation state. She examines how, where and by whom electrical energy was generated and how it was distributed. In doing so, she shows how the electricity grid spread around the Bosphorus with street lights and electric trams, creating new social and political interdependencies and permanently changing the everyday lives of many Istanbulites.

Launched in 1925, this journal was distributed free of charge to electricity subscribers by the Société Anonyme Turque d’Installations Électriques (SATIE) in order to introduce and promote electrical appliances.
You can find out more about Electric Istanbul, its first urban-scale power station, technology and nature, light and shadow in the seven-part documentary series produced by the Gerda Henkel Foundation. You can watch the series in English, German or Turkish on the L.I.S.A. Wissenschaftsportal.
The series was edited by Peter Prestel, with scientific direction by Nurçin İleri, with camera and editing by Maximilian Schecker and overall concept by Gisela Graichen and Peter Prestel.
With the financial support of the Gerda Henkel Foundation, Nurçin İleri is currently an affiliated EUME Fellow at the Forum Transregionale Studien in Berlin and visiting researcher at the International Institute of Social History in Amsterdam.
Watch the first episode of “Electric Istanbul” here.
Citation: Nurcin Ileri, Electric Istanbul, in: in: TRAFO – Blog for Transregional Research, 20.01.2026, https://trafo.hypotheses.org/64059
OpenEdition suggests that you cite this post as follows:
Forum Transregionale Studien (January 20, 2026). Electric Istanbul. TRAFO – Blog for Transregional Research. Retrieved February 7, 2026 from https://doi.org/10.58079/15iz2


