Why were the first automobiles brought to the Ottoman Empire banned?

Car Love, in which Recaizade Mahmut Ekrem described his love for automobiles in the Ottoman Empire, also reflected the people’s passion for pleasure vehicles. Even if it was a phaeton, these vehicles, which were the people’s pleasure vehicle, were running around Göksu, Küçüksu and Fenerbahçe districts. until the first zâtu’l-hareke until they entered the Ottoman borders.

The people of Istanbul, who called the car zâtü’l-hareke, saw the first car, and the calendars showed 1895. Some, while staring at this wheel-driven vehicle with their mouths open in astonishment; some too the invention of the infidel or devil’s car He couldn’t help himself from saying it.

Zâtü’l-harekeyi, which means “self-acting”, was the sultan of the period II. Abdulhamid did not use it.

II. In the period between the Second Constitutional Monarchy and the First World War (1908-1918), the number of cars arriving in the country was limited.. When we take Istanbul as a base, we can say that ministers, pashas, ​​embassies and wealthy people have cars.

During the period we are talking about, there were 100-150 cars of various brands. These; from Germany Daimler, Mercedes, Benz, Puch; from france De Dion Bouton, Delahey, Deloney-Belleville, Delage, Panhard le Vaseur, Hotchkiss, Renault; from Italy fiat, from England Rolls-Royce and Rapier It was his truck.

For the first time, two Lando-type Hotchkis and Mercedes-branded cars were delivered to the Ottoman Empire during the Second World War. It was brought to Abdülhamit.

It is said that Sultan Abdülhamit did not get into these cars because of his apprehension, according to some writers. In a study about Abdülhamit, the word “the driver” used when talking about the drivers of the sultans.II. No record was found about the driver(s) driving Abdülhamit’s cars.” The expression shows that the Sultan bought a car in the palace and kept the cars.

However II. Abdülhamit and those around him did not favor such inventions. The zaptiye supervision of the period instilled in the sultan that such innovations could be dangerous if the rebels used them. The Sultan must have respected these ideas, because he used to go to his greetings every Friday, not by car, but by his phaeton.

Exactly when the automobile was first used in the Ottoman Empire is still a matter of debate.

Sources tell us that the oldest source of car imports It shows that there is an extradition decision given by the Rusumat Department about 1 zâtü’l-hareke. According to the decision, the car, which was brought to Istanbul from France in a disassembled state, was working with kerosene.

Your car is terribly making noise, It also caused the roads to be blocked because it frightened the horses that were already providing transportation in the city. For this reason, the car was returned.

An Iraqi date king was also the owner of the first automobile. This king, named Züheyirzade, was one of Fenerbahçe’s new high society.

Open top and red car Zuhayirzade(also known as Zehirzâde) daughters were enjoying the car. Refik Halit Karay describes this event as follows:

“We are in Istanbul. We saw the first automobile in 1895 in Fenerbahçe. A family called Zehirzâde lived in a place between Ihlamur and Fenerbahçe. The young daughters of this rich Iraqi who attended Fenerbahçe one day (before the Constitutional Monarchy) came to this market place on one of those horseless carriages.”

The company that sold the car trained its first civilian driver by giving driving training to Züheyirzade’s groom. The novice groom, who was a chauffeur in the Ottoman borders, will be the subject of ridicule and will be a source of ridicule in Turkish literature due to his driving style. “novice driver” he was going to give his name.

But why did Sultan Abdulhamid ban the automobile?

In the 1900s, the sultan did not take kindly to the cars that were seen sporadically on the streets of Istanbul. Abdülhamit is not a young and inexperienced prince; He was a self-educated person who traveled abroad and followed technological developments closely. When the Sultan ascended the throne, even a catalog of these vehicles, which were of interest to Yıldız Palace, was sent. Until the event that triggered Abdülhamit’s worries happened!

At the throne of Sultan Abdulhamit The 93 War began with the coup attempt of Ali Suavi and the plots of Mithat Pasha against him. The state was in a state of disarray. These events played a large part in his being always cautious in his reign. But the assassination attempt against him was what ignited these radical decisions.

On a Friday, July 21, 1905, Abdülhamit was assassinated when he went to Yıldız Mosque.

After the Friday prayer, the Sultan had a quick chat with Şeyhülislam Cemaleddin Efendi before going to his vehicle. As he was about to head to his car when his conversation was over, there was an explosion that echoed in every corner of Istanbul. Cause of explosion The carriage used by Abdülhamit was a time bomb placed by Armenian komitaci.

Sultan Abdulhamit, unlike usual, thanks to his distraction during the conversation. escaped being the target of a bomb with a destructive power of about one hundred kilograms. However, the effects of this event on him were much greater than the effect of the bomb.

After this assassination attempt, Sultan Abdülhamit imposed measures on the use of horse-drawn carriages in the city and banned the use of automobiles.

II. Declaration of the Constitutional Monarchy in 1908 Another issue with which freedom was provided was zâtü’l-hareke. These cars, which especially attracted the attention of non-Muslims and wealthy people in Istanbul, are now being owned by Turks as well.

Abdulhamid’s vehicles that are rarely used again despite the banWith the establishment of freedom, he was now completely free.

In fact, cars were not a necessity on the streets of Istanbul.

The first traffic lights after 1950 If we consider that it is a luxury, driving a car in Istanbul symbolized a luxury for people. In addition, the streets of Istanbul were not considered suitable for zâtü’l-hareke.

Not only in the Ottoman Period; In the establishment of the Republic, owning a car was considered a luxury. The use of public transportation by İsmet İnönü’s wife was also reflected in the press. This situation would continue until the 1960s.

A few cars appearing on the streets in an old photograph or a movie, With Turkey’s automobile history can give us relevant hints. On the one hand, a sultan who delayed the entry of the car into the country due to his great anxiety; On the other hand, the districts of Istanbul, which are not suitable for cars on cobblestone streets, present us with a picture that explains why zatü’l-hareke entered the country late.